Designing Reality: A Mapping-Based Participatory Toolkit for Drone Experts Addressing Integration into Critical Infrastructure

Kristensen, Maja Hornbæk

4. Term

Interaction Design, Master of Science (MSc)

2025

2025-06-06

14 pages

The increasing deployment of drones in critical infrastructure settings underscores the need for effective collaboration between drone experts and relevant stakeholders. Yet, existing approaches often lack a structured methodology to facilitate meaningful communication and mutual learning among participants. This paper addresses this gap by developing a scenario-based participatory design (PD) workshop protocol, supported by a domain-specific toolkit, that empowers drone experts to engage stakeholders in co-design activities effectively. Through iterative evaluation with drone experts and researchers, this study demonstrates how this workshop approach uses tangible artifacts and structured scenarios to enhance co-creation, mutual learning, and reality confrontation, to bridge knowledge gaps, and support the collaborative development as part of research in critical infrastructure. The proposed approach fosters shared understanding and aligns technical expertise with operational realities. This research provides a practical, adaptable methodology that advances PD practices in complex, safety-critical domains, ultimately contributing to more context sensitive and realistic drone integration strategies.

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