Participatory Design with Rural Communities Enhances Educational Experiences

Voiceover

Presenter(s)

Jeremy Johnston, Ariane Urresti, Jenna Vigil

Abstract or Description

Problem/Background/Objective: Currently, designs that do not include the user-centered perspective leads to unfunctional design. (Schuler, & Namioka, 1993). Due to this issue, rural communities seek collaboration opportunities (e.g. through universities) to expand their community outreach to design buildings that integrate more user-centered experiences. At the same time, universities are seeking participatory design experiences for students. Participatory design is defined as a design approach that involves various stakeholders to ensure design effectiveness (Kang et al., 2015). 

The collaboration between Washington County Commissioners and Colorado State University interior architecture (IA) student interns did just that. Together, the interns, county commissioners, rodeo professionals, and design stakeholders worked together in participatory design to create a 90,000 square foot event center. 

Methods: Students met with rodeo professionals through the IA internship program to learn of the professional’s arena engagement and interactions to enhance the user-centered design, which allows for effective strategies to enhance space functionality. Students met both in-person and online to generate the final design. 

Conclusion: The final design product will be presented to the community (50-30 people) via a live presentation and a virtual reality experience to help garner financial support and community engagement to make the project viable. 

Significance: This is important because it helps the community while also enhancing students' success because studies show that “students reported experiencing deeper emotional growth due to their knowledge that their design solutions would ultimately improve the lives of others in the community.” Gomez-Lanier, L. (2016). 

Mentor

Dr. Maria Delgado