Research

Social Studios was conducted within a Research Incentive Grant funded by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. While the research was scheduled to take place for twelve months from March 2020, it was delayed due to the impact of Covid-19 and was granted an extension to run until March 2022 through a distributed virtual approach. This involved a series of semi-structured scoping interviews carried out with key stakeholders from community development, academia, and The Scottish Government working in the emerging field of PRs, followed by a series of seven Social Studios – interactive workshops with twelve community representatives from across Scotland applying a range of Participatory Design methods to elicit, capture, and reimagine PR experiences and interactions. Through the workshops participants co-designed a collection of fifteen tools that seek to enable a broad range of people and communities to gain an understanding of the scope, scale, and focus of PRs; work together to achieve meaningful outcomes; review the outcome improvement process and assess the difference it had made; and raise awareness of PRs to involve local people and groups.

A qualitative and iterative Participatory Action Research methodology was developed to support discussion, action, and reflection with partners and participants, drawing from their experiential learning and expertise to develop new knowledge. Within this, Social Studios configured Participatory Design methods to support inclusive participation, foster constructive deliberation, and sustain distributed forms of engagement. Recognising distinctions between participation that is live, synchronous, and discursive; and that which is the cumulative, asynchronous, and reflective, the methodological approach developed bespoke Participatory Design methods to elicit dialogue with research participants dispersed over geographical and physical distance, capturing experiences, insights, and aspirations materially through mapping exercises, interactive probes, and generative making activities through digital and analogue methods. The core of the research was structured around the following phases and activities, each punctuated by formative and iterative stages of thematic analysis:

  • Phase 01: Contextual Immersion – Virtual interviews to scope challenges and opportunities surrounding PRs and articulate criteria for effective PR tools (May – October 2020).
  • Phase 02: Social Studios – Development of distributed Participatory Design approach and tools; ethical approval and participant recruitment; virtual workshops exploring PR challenges and opportunities, generating ideas for PR tools, and co-designing, iterating, and evaluating PR tools (October 2020 – June 2021)
  • Phase 03: Analysis, Evaluation, and Dissemination – Virtual evaluations of PR tools and exploring opportunities for piloting; Research showcase to share PR tools, discussing research recommendations and consolidating next steps, and articulating insights on the role and future of Participatory Design within the context of policy and democratic innovation (July 2021 – March 2022).

As a mode of practice and research that seeks to foster creativity, Participatory Design principles and practices shaped the approach taken in Social Studios’ workshops and the tenets underpinning the Toolbox as a co-designed artefact. Reflecting on the application and affordances of Participatory Design throughout the research process and within its outcomes, and their capacity to support engagement through materiality, mutual learning, and the mobilisation of community assets, Social Studios has led to a series of four broad recommendations to strengthen engagement, equality, collaboration, and outcomes in PRs: 

1. Reflection, Dialogue, and Engagement:
Designing Opportunities for Distributed and Creative Participation and Collaboration 

The research recommends that Participatory Design principles and practices concerning the use of interactive artefacts be embedded into PRs and broader forms of public engagement, participation, and co-production. These can strengthen the scope and quality of participation by supporting reflection on issues and experiences, focusing dialogue on challenges and opportunities, and enabling diverse people and communities to generate ideas together. 

2. Access, Understanding, and Equality:
Making PRs Visible

The research recommends that visual and participatory tools are used to enhance the communication and promotion of PRs both locally and nationally. These can contribute to enhancing access to PR information, improving the understanding of PR procedures and benefits, and addressing equality to enable a broader range of community groups to become involved in PRs.

3. Partnerships, Power, and Collaboration:
Advancing Deliberative Decision-making

The research recommends that tools for stimulating deliberative decision-making are employed in the outcome improvement process and the reporting of PR outcomes. These can inform effective partnership working, recalibrate power relations, and support productive collaboration within and between community participation bodies and public service authorities. 

4. Transformation, Cultures, and Outcomes:
Valuing Community Assets and Aspirations

The research recommends that tools to harness the assets, experiences, and aspirations of people and communities are used across PRs. These can support the transformation of services in local areas, reframe and sustain cultures of participation within PSAs, and inform outcomes of different scales and natures.