Mapping User Participation in the Design of Digital Public Services: Is Participatory Design Relevant?

Participatory design has struggled in the context of large public systems development. Two decades ago, PD researchers addressed these issues in a “reformist PD agenda”, inviting PD practitioners to consider participation in public sector development, assess paradigm claims and revitalise the political perspective of PD. Today’s digitalisation wave, with public digital services becoming the only option for citizen interaction with authorities, reveals digital inequalities in society that once again puts focus on civic agency in public sector design. This paper investigates user participation in digital public service design through an empirical study, composed by twelve semi-structured interviews with key actors in digitalizing public services in Denmark, followed by a thematic analysis. The study highlights how the national digital strategy, procurement processes, available competence and other factors shape user participation in public sector design. Based on these findings, we reflect on the potential role of PD in contemporary public sector design.