A participatory design research method using Chinese character experiments: using a range of participants to test the potential readability of new characters

Abstract

The author of this paper is an Mphil student studying at the Royal College of Art, School of Communication. His research topic concerns low literacy and literacy design and has two aims: firstly, to determine whether design language as a cognitively functional system can cross cultural and linguistic barriers to facilitate illiterate cognition. Secondly, to ask whether data achieved and any co-designed research findings can usefully reflect on and contribute to design literacy? The paper describes three experiments conducted at the School of Communication Research Work in Process Show, in December 2017. These experiments are intended as catalysts: to see what the challenges of the researcher’s research project on levels of literacy and design might be, to explore participant strategies across barriers of culture and literacy, to format appropriate materials and methods which could contribute to his research journey. Keywords: Participatory methodology, Chinese Typeface design