Gender Differences in Innovation Design: A Thematic Conversation Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates aspects of the role gender plays in participatory design innovation workshops; reflecting on both the process and the output. Often when gender and design are discussed, the problems raised concern a lack of women as designers or developers [26], but there appear to be gaps in addressing full gender representation when it comes to users in the design process. In this study, a design workshop was run where participants, two men and five women were asked initially to identify or generate problems and possible digital solutions concerning their academic studies, and then to design their top self-selected solution. The workshop was recorded and transcribed, and conversation and discourse analysis were carried out which found gender to influence problem raising, language used and group practices. The paper concludes both that gender apparently plays a strong role in group dynamics with regards to design innovation; and that thematic conversation and discourse analysis provides an appropriate and insightful approach to understanding these issues.