No more design experts? Meeting the challenges of the emerging role of the designer-facilitator in graphic design

The reorganisation of societies around differentiation, diversification and distributed systems challenges graphic designers to better understand the contextual and human dimensions in design projects, the era of standardised communications having passed. Some design debate holds that audience participation in the design process better aligns designs with audience’s needs and perspectives, challenging the graphic designer’s established role as a creative and communication expert. Arguments for the ethical and pragmatic benefits of participatory design can seem compelling, but the task of including audience members in the design process is not straightforward. This paper responds to Jorge Frascara’s argument that graphic design needs systematic case studies to build knowledge of practice. It reports on a project that used participatory design to research the use of information materials on asthma risk and management, focusing on the need for dedicated methods to help end-users contribute their creative ideas and problem-solving abilities to the design process.