Six Facets of Facilitation: Participatory Design Facilitators' Perspectives on Their Role and Its Realization

Participatory design facilitators have a significant impact on participatory activities, processes, and outcomes. However, the facilitator role has not yet been thoroughly debated in existing design discourse, and support for role-related reflections is limited. As the first steps towards an enriched collective understanding of this specific role and its realization, we interviewed 14 respondents with an academic background in participatory design and extensive facilitation experience. Based on a content analysis of the interviews, we identified six facets of the role: (1) trust builder, (2) enabler, (3) inquirer, (4) direction setter, (5) value provider, and (6) users’ advocate. Each facet is presented as consisting of the respondents’ perceived associated responsibilities and corresponding strategies. Our results paint a complex picture of participatory design facilitation. We propose the multi-faceted understanding of the facilitator role emerging from this work as a basis for problematized reflection on the role and its realization.