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Design+ Speculative and participatory stakeholder mapping

literature, the present approach aligns with Manzini’s issues, remains too concerned with fixing things). From a
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perspective on the designer’s role in participatory sessions. more general perspective, the present research contributes
He critiques what is often termed “post-it design,” wherein to establishing that designers should break the rigid ties
the designer’s role in co-design processes is narrowly between design, solution, and needs, which are commonly
confined to administrative tasks. In such scenarios, recognized as the starting points of the design process
creative ideas and design culture tend to fade, reducing by scholars. 50-53 As noted in the introduction, wicked
the designer to a mere process facilitator. Although digital problems may have different solutions, and often the
post-its were used extensively throughout the process, this problem and needs are ill-defined. However, design
study rejected such a reductionist view of the designer’s should bring a change, as suggested by Herbert A. Simon,
role, instead emphasizing the importance of their critical, in his seminal definition of design, “Everyone designs
creative, and dialogic input within the participatory who devises courses of action aimed at changing existing
sessions. According to this perspective, designers are situations into preferred ones.” 54(p.111) The outcome of the
expected to contribute to discussions by sharing visions stakeholder identification process leads to a change in how
and ideas grounded in their skills and cultural expertise. the organization understands, approaches, and works with
They should also actively listen to feedback from both their its stakeholders.
interlocutors and the broader environment in which they Apart from theoretical debates on whether speculative
operate. Based on this feedback, designers are expected to design qualifies as a legitimate design practice – an idea
refine and introduce new, more developed proposals into generally opposed here – there is a risk that speculative
the conversation.
design, along with other critical practices, may become
Designers cannot be passive listeners; experience from overly self-referential and inward-looking, confined to
this project demonstrates that concrete results would a closed community of practitioners. Drawing from
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not have been achieved without an active design role. participatory design and related practices, such as
Furthermore, design facilitators need to maintain a clear socially responsive design and co-design, may provide a
focus on the core and creative dimensions of facilitation pathway for speculative design to gain broader acceptance
before an event takes place, as this greatly enhances their in mainstream design practice or at least contribute
ability to orchestrate design events effectively. 49 meaningfully to everyday design challenges. Participatory
Participatory design relies on shared responsibility design, for example, emphasizes the relationship between
among participants to achieve meaningful outcomes; design and the communities it serves, whether designed
however, the designer carries the primary responsibility. for or with them. This approach is often considered
Designers not only create the conditions for interactions progressive within the design discourse and has been fully
but also ensure the positive outcomes of the project. The integrated into the established norms of the discipline.
present research shows that participatory design methods The present research indicates that speculative
are highly effective in fostering engagement and creativity, methods and tools have significant potential to address
even in management and operational projects, such as various contexts, including stakeholder management
stakeholder identification, which are typically performed within organizations. While acknowledging that the
independently by research teams. present paradigm of speculative design cannot be entirely
transformed, emphasis is placed on its potential application
6.3. From speculative design to speculative design
thinking across different domains. This research lays the groundwork
for what is proposed as an emerging speculative design
The role of speculative design in our research project is thinking framework. This framework builds on speculative
sensitive and challenging. Tools and methods originating and critical mindsets, as well as conceptual tools and
from speculative design research were used; however, the methods, to drive change through design in both micro and
radical understanding of speculative design that emerged macro contexts. It operates independently of technology
in the literature review was rejected. but places a strong emphasis on imagining and preparing
The investigation suggests it is time to reflect on for the future through speculation.
how speculative design can become a more mainstream 7. Conclusion
design practice. Dunne and Raby claim that large-scale
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speculative thinking in speculative design differs both The research sets the stage for establishing a connection
from design thinking (which is about problem-solving) between stakeholder management and design. It shows that
and social design (which, despite distancing itself from stakeholder identification is a design issue and can be tackled
purely commercial pre-occupations in favor of human through design. Engagement through participatory design

Volume 2 Issue 3 (2025) 11 doi: 10.36922/DP025060011