Participation is the complex, contested, changing, creative and celebratory core of participatory design. The theme calls us to explore the current and emerging equivalents to the pioneering Participatory Design focus on involving people in the introduction of technology into their work. This PDC will take up the challenge of extending the design approaches and understandings of participation that informed the first 20 years of Participatory Design towards those that were needed to enable the field to continue to generate major innovations in design in the future.

In this deliberately forward looking PDC we invite you to join us to explore what participation can and needs to mean in the broad and expanding design contexts where we are working now and those we are likely to encounter soon.

There are many ways that you can participate in PDC fincluding the presentation of traditional research papers, or novel industry case studies or interactive art that has been made using participative methods; you can participate in a range of tutorials and workshops, or just come along and enjoy both the technical and social programmes, catch up with old friends and meet some new ones.