Phenomenology, a framework for participatory design

The philosophical discipline of phenomenology provides the designer with a framework for studying user experience by affording an intrinsically contextual view of the way we interact with things around us. In this paper we argue that phenomenology also plays a critical role in participatory design when it is undertaken as an interpretive and generative process, mindful of end user experience rather than directed toward the specification of outcomes. We will illustrate this notion through our participatory design work for ECHOES - a multi-disciplinary research project that aims to create technologically enhanced learning environments for typically developing children and children with high-functioning Autism or Aspergers. We will demonstrate how phenomenological thinking has assisted in the co-creation of ECHOES and has provided a mechanism for interpreting the emergent, creative input from our target population.