Participatory Action Research
Participatory action research is a present-focused method that captures real-time behavior and feedback from the people and contexts involved. It is also recommended, alongside related methods, for navigating wicked problems that resist a linear approach.
Under the Observations Component's Influence of Time, present-oriented observation is described as follows: "Observation is arguably most active and immediate in the present moment, the 'Hic et Nunc,' where designers strive to capture the dynamic, ever-changing state of users, contexts, systems, and the unfolding interactions between them. Methodologies like real-time usability testing, A/B testing, participatory action research, and direct ethnographic engagement focus intently on current behaviors, immediate feedback, and the lived realities of the present." The Procedures Component also lists it among methodologies suited to wicked problems: "addressing the wicked problems of our time often requires moving beyond linear processes towards more iterative, adaptive, and systemic methodologies like participatory action research, systemic design mapping, and transition design frameworks."
Related in Community
Entries this one is tied to through the book.
Books and references
- Cradle to Cradle (book by William McDonough and Michael Braungart) · discussed together in section 127
- Design Methods 1: 200 ways to apply design thinking · discussed together in section 127
- Making Futures: Innovation, Design and Democracy · discussed together in section 126
Disciplines
- Systemic Design · discussed together in section 127
Examples
- Cradle to Cradle (book by William McDonough and Michael Braungart) · discussed together in section 127
Methods
- Cradle to Cradle (book by William McDonough and Michael Braungart) · discussed together in section 127
- Forecasting · discussed together in section 126
- Horizon Scanning · discussed together in section 126
- Iterative Design · discussed together in section 127
- Reflective Practice · discussed together in section 127
- Scenario Planning · discussed together in section 126
- Speculative Design · discussed together in section 126
In the Framework
- Observations Component
- Procedures Component
- Wicked Problems · problem type
In the book
- Chapter 12, section 126 · The Influence of Time on the Observations Component
- Chapter 13, section 127 · Operative (How?)
Mentioned in
Methods