Creating creative spaces for co-designing with autistic children: the concept of a

Participatory design is inherently concerned with creatively inventing alternative futures. From this perspective we argue that facilitating meaningful participation is configuring processes that allow for the unfolding of creative potentials of participants. To this end, we have developed the concept of "Handlungsspielraum" -- the conceptual creative space in which participants and designers collaborate, exploring unique pathways by balancing given structures and freedoms in order to creatively think about the design at hand. Beyond the theoretical value of this perspective, we have found the concept to be a powerful, practical tool which allows designers to plan, conduct and reflect on co-design activities. In the Outside-TheBox project it has supported us in systematically developing tailored co-design activities with autistic children to design interactive "smart" objects. It has allowed us to consciously design creative spaces by providing social, physical and mental -- methodological structures as well as creative freedoms. In the paper we establish the concept of a "Handlungsspielraum" and provide four case studies to demonstrate the practical guidance that it offers.