Exploring the dynamics of ownership in community-oriented design projects

Abstract

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From Creating Spaces for Civic Discourse to Creating Resources for Action

“…Previous research in HCI has indicated that handing over responsibility can lead to an increased sense of ownership [51]. In our study we found that certain actors within the Trust took a strong sense of ownership over not only their consultation but also the research study.…”

A Respectful Design Framework. Incorporating indigenous knowledge in the design process

“…We, furthermore, have to consider whether coming into a community with the agenda of completing research can ever fully be an exchange. There is always a foundational act of initiation, from a designer, a government agency or a community, that sets the project in motion (Light et al, 2013). When the ambition is research as well as designing, there is always the question of who benefits from the additional knowledge that comes from the engagement.…”

Ideas of Autonomía: Buzzwords, borderlands and research through design

“…But there continues to be a story to tell the advocates of collaborative work to demonstrate that designers are sometimes an adjunct to history, not its moving force; that groups of people worldwide can, and sometimes do, make their own futures. Sometimes they enlist a professional to help (Light et al, 2013). But, many times, they act, life changes and no one in the design world is much the wiser .…”

“…But, many times, they act, life changes and no one in the design world is much the wiser . We need to tell this story because there is still a prevalent belief, despite extraordinary initiatives like the Transition Towns Movement (e.g., see Macy, 2007), that things start exogenously with someone who has training, status, authority or another form of design-power (Light et al, 2013). Even in the field of Participatory Design, which used to lead design practice in having political vision, the separation between designers and lay experts in the literature speaks to an Othering of lay partners -the very concept of participation presupposes there is something going on beyond you to which you can be invited (Light, forthcoming).…”