Participatory Design

This dissertation systematically discusses Participatory Design in six chapters. In a narrow sense, the whole process involves designers, producers, businessmen and consumers. Users actively participate in the designs and changes. This behavior that embodies individuations engenders Participatory Design.Similarly as the development of other matters, the development of Participatory Design is circular and ascending. Participatory Design has its roots in human art design, in which self-consciousness was included. Meanwhile, handicraft industry provided the premise for Participatory Design development. When the Industrial Revolution took place in the 18th century, mass merchandising split the process of design, production and consumption, whereas people still thought high much of Participatory Design. The coming of Experience Economy was the sign of Participatory Design's maturity.Self-realization gives the basic impetus to the development of Participatory Design. The desire of renewal is the main impetus in participatory design process. Commodity economy is the economic cause of its progress. And the advancement of democracy is the political force in the participatory design process. Forced by many motives, Participatory Design is developing forward. The significance of this is that it generates WIN -WIN situation for production and consumption. As the embodiment of humanity, Participatory Design is flexible and adaptable. Customers involved in the product design are pleased with characteristic manufacture, in which individuality is emphasized. In a sense, Participatory Design results in the extension of products validity, namely, development through the life of the products.While in the Participatory Design of merchandise phase, for users,Participatory Design is a discipline of redesign practices based on original design on one' s own initiative. This dissertation makes a summary of Participation Design in the phrase of product phrase in terms of structure, function and material. After analyzing, Participatory Design is sorted into three categories by participatory degree. For describing what people do in the Participatory Design, four representative samples are given to illustrate this in this dissertation.Lastly, the essence of this dissertation is that it expands the definition of Participation Design, combining the product phase and merchandise phase together as a whole process to study. In conclusion, two findings are stated: one is that customers hold the most important status in Participatory Design; the other is that Participation Design leads to the extended self.