Participatory design facilitation in career exploration processes for college students

Abstract

Offering opportunities for students to collaborate and reflect through creative exploration and peer support, participatory design facilitation emerges as an innovative approach for interventions supporting career exploration in college. This paper presents a study developed within a summer internship program for undergraduate students at a North American university. Participatory design workshops discussed challenges, life goals and choices in career exploration. Findings related to individualized work-centered lifestyles, pressure for success, rich exchange of experiences, and increasing self-direction are presented. The study showed the potential of participatory design facilitation to open a space for dialogue and creative collaboration. The emerging themes allow for further investigation and innovative design interventions to support career decision-making in the transition to adulthood.