Hybridity in MAP-it: how moderating participatory design workshops is a balancing act between fun and foundations

This paper departs from the idea that participatory design workshops take on the form of exchanges of viewpoints, wherein none of the involved designers, participants or objects completely define the process of exchange and its outcomes. This raises the question how this multidirectional process can still be moderated. We propose that designers take on a hybrid approach to moderate these exchanges, respecting the different viewpoints involved. We will do this by discussing the design game 'MAP-it'. The hybridity in moderating a MAP-it workshop results from balancing diversity on two defining levels: (1) the composition of the groups of participants and (2) the differences in viewpoints on the addressed topics. We refer to three case studies that describe a series of MAP-it workshops. We conclude that an imbalance between these levels affects the hybrid flow of the workshop, leading to a shift in the role of the moderator and an adaptation of the game rules and pieces.