Assessing and Improving the Experience of Underrepresented Populations: A Participatory Design Approach

Abstract

How can we ensure that underrepresented populations succeed at our institutions? Participatory Design offers one answer to this question. Participatory Design is a socially-active, values-driven approach to co-creation that seeks to give voice to those who have been traditionally unheard. A team of librarians from Penn State University (PSU) and Montana State University (MSU) followed a parallel design process with two different populations: PSU worked with first-generation students and MSU worked with Native American students. Each project team facilitated a series of 10 workshops with student participants that followed a three-phase process: exploration, generation, and evaluation.•During the exploration phase, we explored topics, concepts, and problems relating to the library experience of participants. •During the generation phase, we generated ideas and potential solutions around key topics explored in the first phase. •During the evaluation phase, we evaluated and implemented the most desirable, feasible, and viable solutions generated in the second phase. Through this process, the first-generation student group at PSU produced new service designs for engaging other first-generation students, while the Native American student group at MSU produced a seven-part poster series and social media campaign designed to welcome Native American students into the library. In addition to co-designing new services, Participatory Design also aims to generate political outcomes that focus on empowering participants. The foundational values of Participatory Design include mutual learning, power sharing, and the equal recognition of expertise among all participants. Within this equity-focused, participatory framework, the students participants became expert library users who expressed readiness to advocate for the library to their peers. More than that, the students—members of underrepresented populations who often feel at the margins—developed a stronger sense of place and confidence on campus that will contribute to their success at our institutions. And for the librarian facilitators, the in-depth co-design process enhanced our ability to understand these student populations. We gained new insights into the experience of our student participants that we can apply to better serve these important populations. Ultimately, the Participatory Design process equipped us with the tools and insights to assess and improve the conditions of their success.In this way, we found Participatory Design to be an empowering, compassionate, and effective approach for designing and assessing library services and experiences. This paper will present the principles of Participatory Design, our step-by-step process, and the challenges and limitations of this approach. The key takeaway of this paper will be practical recommendations for building a sustainable, participatory design and assessment program with underrepresented populations.