Proceedings of the 12th Participatory Design Conference: Research Papers - Volume 1

PDC 2012 is an excellent opportunity to enter engaging conversations and debates about the status and future of the field of Participatory Design. This issue of the proceedings provides an excellent starting point for debate as it points to a number of trends, challenges and dilemmas for the field. With firm roots in the original Participatory Design focus on involving people in the introduction of technology into their workplace this year's PDC conference invites us to explore traditional fields of participatory design as well as emerging areas, field, and arenas, like for instance urban life and communities. Skilled workers are still participating in design processes aiming at developing tools for quality of working life, but designing for everyday life poses new challenges for the way participation is practiced and understood. Today we are designing engaging experiences not only through participation but also for participation. A total of 67 papers were submitted in the research paper category for PDC 2012. Through an intense double blind review process, 14 were selected for publication and presentation. This year's conference maintains the political perspective and revisit core PD research themes like empowerment but also addresses the boundaries between use and designing hereby challenging our conventional understanding of users as participants in the design process.