User Participation

Abstract

This article presents a study which attempts to clarify the meaning of participation by separating participation into distinct types and relating each type to evaluation of the environment. The study was a simulation of the process of designing dormitory rooms which contrasted three types of participation, while controlling for quality of the design: (1) Self-Planning (SP)-generating alternative designs and choosing one; (2) Choice (C)-Choosing a design from two alternative designs generated by others; (3) No Participation (NP). Type of participation was significantly related to participants' reports of how much they would like living in the room. SP subjects and C subjects liked the rooms significantly more than the NP subjects, while SP and C subjects did not differ significantly from each other. SP and C subjects reported that participation made them feel significantly more creative, responsible, and helpful, and less anonymous than NP subjects. Attitudes about the architects were significantly affected by type of participation. The role of individual difference characteristics in participation was explored.