Enabling digital participation: Co-design with vulnerable young people

A new study by Tabea Mildenberger, Marc Schmidt, and Isabel Zorn explores this question in depth—with exciting findings from the INTIA project. Entitled “A formative evaluation: co-designing tools to prepare vulnerable young people for participating in technology development,” the study examines how young people without technical knowledge can be specifically involved in the development of digital technologies.

The central idea is participatory design – i.e., active co-design by the target groups themselves. The study shows that vulnerable young people rarely have technical expertise, but they do have invaluable experience from their own lives. This knowledge needs to be incorporated into design processes.

👉 How can participatory design give young people a stronger voice in the technology industry?

👉 What strategies make co-design effective and empowering?

The toolkit developed as part of INTIA takes a mobile lab approach: it brings young people and social work professionals together to jointly develop tools that focus in particular on the smart home sector. The toolkit was developed iteratively in two phases – first on the basis of existing prototypes and feedback from practice, then through qualitative evaluation with the young people themselves.

The results are promising: the final toolkit focuses on three central modules – experience, understanding, and co-design. These categories enable a step-by-step approach to technology processes and promote active participation.

The article provides important impetus for fairer, more inclusive technology development and demonstrates in a practical way how co-design not only involves young people, but also empowers them.

Read the full study (open access): Click here