Cultural Probes: The best way to go for PD in sensitive research settings? A methodological reflexion

Abstract

Cultural Probes are widely used as a methodological tool in participatory design (PD) processes. In our contribution, we focus on the use of probes in the sensitive, intimate setting of informal care and discuss their role as one methodological option (or “tool kit”) within a longer, mixed method-process of an international and interdisciplinary PD design project. We state that a carefully designed set of probes and a rather flexible use of them can not only support the understanding of a certain setting and the involved (care) practices for the researchers, but also underlines the involvement of the participants within the co-design-process.