These prompts help researchers use AI at each stage of a participatory design project — from planning the workshop and preparing materials to synthesizing outputs and recruiting participants. Each prompt includes placeholders in [brackets] for you to customize. Paste them into ChatGPT, Claude, or your preferred LLM.
Prompt 1: Workshop plan design
I am planning a participatory design workshop.
Context:
- Design challenge: [describe the problem or opportunity]
- Participants: [who they are, how many, their relationship to the problem]
- Duration: [2-4 hours]
- Format: [in-person / remote via Zoom+Miro / hybrid]
- What we already know: [key findings from prior research, if any]
Design a complete workshop plan with:
1. Warm-up activity (15-20 min): related to the topic, involves making or drawing, not just talking
2. Context sharing (20-30 min): structured prompt for participants to share their experiences
3. Generative activity 1 (30-45 min): a making activity appropriate for the design challenge (collaging, paper prototyping, storyboarding, or design-the-box)
4. Generative activity 2 (30-45 min): a different activity that builds on outputs from activity 1
5. Sharing and discussion (20-30 min): how groups present, what questions the facilitator asks
6. Prioritization (15-20 min): method for converging on key themes or concepts
7. Reflection and close (10 min): closing questions and next-steps script
For each activity, include:
- Purpose and what it produces
- Step-by-step facilitator instructions
- Materials needed (physical or digital)
- Tips for managing group dynamics
- Time allocationPrompt 2: Stimulus material generation
I am running a participatory design workshop about [topic] with [participants].
Create stimulus materials:
1. 6-8 scenario cards (each 40-60 words): realistic situations where a participant encounters the problem being designed for. Vary by context, urgency, and emotional state
2. 10-12 "what if" question cards: provocative but grounded questions that challenge assumptions (e.g., "What if you could only use this product with your voice?")
3. 4-5 persona summary cards (each 60-80 words): short descriptions of different user types for participants to reference during activities
4. A set of 8-10 value words for a prioritization exercise: words like "speed," "trust," "control," "simplicity" that participants rank by importance
Rules:
- Write in language participants would use, not design jargon
- Make scenarios specific enough to trigger recognition ("That happened to me") but general enough that multiple participants can relate
- "What if" questions should open new directions, not lead to predetermined answersPrompt 3: Workshop output synthesis
I facilitated a participatory design workshop about [topic] with [N] participants. Below are the outputs.
[Paste: facilitator notes, photographed sticky notes (transcribed), participant quotes, descriptions of sketches/prototypes, prioritization results]
Synthesize this data:
1. Identify 5-8 themes across all workshop outputs
2. For each theme: one-sentence insight, supporting evidence from multiple participants, and how many participants raised it
3. List the top 3 design concepts or directions that emerged, with descriptions of what participants created
4. Note areas of disagreement between participants or groups — what was the tension about?
5. Draft 5-8 design requirements in the format: "As [user type], I need [capability], so that [outcome]"
6. Identify what the workshop did not address — gaps where additional research or another workshop is needed
7. Suggest 3 next steps for the design team
Format insights as: "Participants expressed [finding]. This suggests [implication for design]."Prompt 4: Participant recruitment screener
I need to recruit participants for a participatory design workshop.
Context:
- Design challenge: [what we are co-designing]
- Target participants: [who should be in the room — users, stakeholders, staff]
- Workshop details: [duration, format, incentive]
- Number of participants needed: [6-12]
Write a recruitment screener (8-10 questions) that:
1. Identifies people with direct, recent experience with the problem being designed for
2. Ensures diversity of experience levels and contexts (not all power users, not all novices)
3. Screens out people who work in design or UX (their training biases the co-design process)
4. Includes a question about comfort with creative activities ("In this workshop, you'll be drawing and building — no artistic skill needed. How do you feel about that?")
5. Collects availability, accessibility needs, and consent to be photographed/recorded