Participatory Design

A design approach originating in Scandinavian workplace democracy that involves end users as active, equal partners in the design process, not merely as research subjects or consultants. In accessibility, participatory design ensures that people with disabilities contribute directly to creating the tools and technologies they will use, bringing their lived experience to inform design decisions. This approach has been shown to produce more effective, usable, and empowering assistive technologies compared to expert-driven design alone.