Participatory construction of futures for the defense of human rights

Abstract

Participatory design allows for designing speculative futures through a collaborative approach. This paper explores how a human rights defense non-governmental organization (NGO) and a group of designers could explore speculative futures collaboratively. It also reflects on how prototypes of these futures help the organization face potential changes in the country's social model to make an impact on the defense of human rights during the next ten years. This case study presents how the use of participatory design and speculative design can allow NGOs to explore the futures, identify the opportunities and challenges they offer, and co-design a roadmap to act accordingly.