Since, I want to focus more on the design process of playgrounds. While doing so, I have come across several definitions that are closely related to one another, such as co-creation, participatory research, co-design, and participatory design. In today’s post, I will talk about these concepts and explore how they connect to my research topic.
Participatory design is one of the earliest of these approaches and has its roots in democratic design movements. Its core idea is that users should actively participate in the design process, especially when the outcomes directly affect their lives. In the context of playgrounds, this means involving children not just as users, but as contributors whose experiences and perspectives matter. However, participation does not always imply equal power; designers often still guide decisions and structure the process.
Co-design is closely related but places stronger emphasis on collaboration. In co-design, designers and users work together as partners during specific phases of the design process, such as ideation or prototyping. Rather than designing for users, designers create with them. When applied to playground design, co-design can take the form of workshops, drawing sessions, or playful activities where children help shape ideas for play environments.
Co-creation is a broader term that describes collective creativity shared by designers and non-designers across the entire process. Unlike co-design, which often refers to concrete design activities, co-creation can include generating ideas, defining problems, and imagining futures together. In this sense, co-creation is more of a mindset than a method, emphasizing shared ownership and creativity.
Participatory research, on the other hand, focuses more on how knowledge is produced rather than on design outcomes. It aims to include participants—such as children, parents, or educators—not only as subjects but as contributors to the research itself. This approach is particularly relevant when trying to understand children’s experiences of play, as it values their voices as a source of insight rather than data to be interpreted solely by adults.
References
Morrow, J. (2019). Co-creation, participatory research, co-design or participatory design — which is it? Medium.
https://medium.com/@Josh.Morrow.1/co-creation-participatory-research-co-design-or-participatory-design-which-is-it-fa14a7f542c1
UX Collective. (2018). The difference between co-design and participatory design.
https://uxdesign.cc/difference-between-co-design-participatory-design-df4376666816
