Bridging the Gap: Using a Preparatory Stage to Reduce the Knowledge Gap caused by Generational and Educational Disparities in Participatory Design

Background Designers face the challenging task of improving participatory design (PD) activities to allow the participation of different stakeholders, especially in the presence of participation gaps, which can be a reality in any project with generational or educational disparities. This research inquires how preparatory stages can assist in bridging the knowledge gaps between participants of PD projects caused by their differing educational and generational backgrounds. A case study is conducted with the aim to reduce participation gaps in a participatory experience with 29 citizens who took part in digital social innovation (DSI) projects organized by the Seoul DSI center, South Korea. Methods We designed a ten-week (35-hour) social innovation training program as a preparatory stage to reduce citizens’ participation gaps before they embark on DSI projects. We evaluated the preparatory stages by collecting mixed data: observations and surveys during the preparatory stage and interviews with five participants at the end of the project. The data were translated and thematically analyzed. Results The findings can be broadly and thematically divided into two categories: “Reducing the knowledge gaps” and “Creation of context for co-creation”. The first finding suggests how the preparatory stage was effective in offering useful knowledge for participants to feel comfortable and confident in developing their services. The second finding provides technical and theoretical lessons to PD researchers and practitioners about addressing participation gaps in the preparatory stages of PD. Conclusions This study examines how preparatory stages assist in bridging the knowledge gap between participants, resulting from their differing educational and generational backgrounds. We discuss various issues in implementing the preparatory stage and suggest design considerations to reduce participation gaps and to create a context for co-creation in participatory design.