Frequently asked questions

Participation seems like a good idea to most people – but general support is almost always tempered by specific reservations.  These reservations usually find expression in three frequently asked questions.

 

Isn’t there a danger of raising unrealistic expectations?  Yes there is, if you ask people what solutions they want built rather than what needs they want satisified.  Participation is an engagement process which firstly informs the brief – it is not a substitute for design.

 

Why should experienced professionals listen to inexperienced amateurs?  Because it’s their building.  Because they will have to live their lives in what the profesionals create.  Because they are the world class experts about their own lives.  And, because the alternative – don’t try to understand or engage with the people who will use your design – is a surreal standpoint.

 

Don’t people only really know what they want after its provided? Henry Ford is often quoted here as saying that if he had asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses not automobiles.  No, Henry, you miss the point.  They would have said that they wanted to travel faster and more easily.

 

These days participation is not an option, and in my experience it can be a revelation.  Better briefs, better insights, better outcomes.  Any questions?