The Relevance of Involving People with Dementia in Design Research

Multiple researchers and designers have attempted to involve people with dementia in the design research process. This paper tackles the relevance of doing so. It discusses how society can benefit from involvement of people with dementia in the design process. In addition, it looks at how people with dementia experience such involvement (and how relevant it is to them). The paper consists of theoretical reflections complemented with experiences from a case study and an educational module on design and dementia. The paper ends with providing concrete suggestions on how to increase relevance using the agonistic qualities of design and the way participation in design can help to meet unmet needs of people with dementia.