Configuring Participatory Research as Give and Take Relationships: Methodological Reflections on Co-Designing Booklets with a Men Shed

Researchers ask a lot from their study participants: data, time, attention, ideas, and (almost) anything that helps them to pursue their research goals. But what do they give back? This question becomes especially critical in longer-term participatory research with low-resourced communities. This paper offers methodological reflections on a collaboration with a Men’s Shed that was tailored around both my research agenda and the interests of my community partner. As part of my research, we designed a booklet that eventually became their promotion brochure. By reviewing both the trouble and the gains of this process for both partners, I argue for re-imagining community-based participatory research as an opportunity for fostering give-and-take relationships with participants. The case demonstrates the method’s capacity to critically extend existing HCI work on Men’s Sheds while also making participation worthwhile for my partners. The careful documentation of this process contributes methodological nuance to discussions around configuring participation.