Participatory Design (PD) is a diverse collection of principlesand practices aimed at making technologies and social institutionsmore responsive to human needs. The central tenet of PD is thedirect involvement of people in the codesign of the systems theyuse. Originally viewed as an approach to developing computersystems for specific groups of workers, PD has expanded outwards inphilosophical, political and pragmatic ways. It is now part of anemerging movement that blurs theoretical and practical boundariesand integrates work from many disciplines -- in an artful way --all in pursuit of relevance for people around the world shapingtheir own 'networked society.'>The Participatory Design Conferences have been convened everytwo years since 1990. These forums have brought together amultidisciplinary and international group of software developers,researchers, social scientists, designers, activists,practitioners, users, citizens, cultural workers and managers whoadopt distinctively participatory approaches in the development ofinformation and communication artifacts, systems, services andtechnology.>Participatory design approaches have been used in traditionalapplication domains (such as computer systems for business, healthcare and government) and are also relevant in emerging areas suchas web-portal design, e-government services, community networks,enterprise resource planning, public CSCW (computer supportedcooperative work) systems, social administration, communitydevelopment, university/community partnerships, tele-health,political deliberation/mobilization (e-democracy), digital arts anddesign, scholarship and teaching with mediated technologies(e-learning), cultural production and cultural institutions. PD isalso being used in the development of ICT (information andcommunication technology) infrastructures like free software/opensource projects, standards, protocols, new media, policy, broadbandand WiFi (wireless fidelity) networks and the like.>Participatory designers ofICT-applications may learn from, and,hopefully contribute to, work in other fields, such as communityand organizational development, architecture, urban planning,policy development, media, design and art, especially insofar asthese fields increasingly use ICTs. Participatory design approachescan be applied in various social settings such as localcommunities, government agencies, civil society, NGOs, schools anduniversities, companies, trade unions, etc. each with its owndistinctive stakeholder arenas and power relations.>Artful Integration>The overall theme of the 2004 conference, "Artful Integration:Interweaving Media, Materials and Practices" describes a centralreality of participatory design. It recognizes that an essentialingredient in design practice is the working together of multiple,heterogeneous elements. Whereas conventional design approachesemphasize the role of the designer and the creation of singular'things', artful integration calls attention to the collectiveinterweaving ofpeople, artifacts and processes to achievepractical, aesthetic or emancipatory syntheses. With that in mindthe conference organizers inaugurated the "Artful IntegratorsAward" to recognize exemplary work in participatory design.>The award is intended to recognize outstanding achievement inthe area of participatory design of information and communicationstechnologies. The award goes to a group of people who together haveworked out, in an exceptionally creative way, a new and usefulconfiguration of technologies and practices. Where traditionaldesign awards have gone to individual designers or singularobjects, the Artful Integrators Award emphasizes the importance ofcollaborative participation in design, and a view of good design asthe effective alignment of diverse collections of people,activities and artifacts. While no single element of the designmight be particularly extraordinary in itself, the combination ofdesign process and out
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