Deltagarperspektiv

Deltagarperspektiv is a term used in Swedish contexts to describe the perspective of participants in a project, study, or service. It denotes prioritizing the experiences, needs, values, and voices of people who are directly affected by an intervention, program, or policy. In research and practice, deltagarperspektiv is associated with participatory, user-centered, and co-design approaches, and it informs how data are collected, interpreted, and acted upon.

Common methods to elicit the participant perspective include semi-structured interviews, focus groups, participatory observation, diaries or journals, storytelling, photo elicitation, and collaborative workshops such as co-design sessions or user-journey mapping. Some traditions also use participatory action research, where participants contribute to data generation and analysis.

Benefits include greater relevance and validity of findings, enhanced legitimacy and trust among stakeholders, and empowerment of communities. It can improve the applicability and sustainability of interventions by ensuring they address actual needs and contexts. Challenges include managing power imbalances between researchers and participants, ensuring diverse and representative participation, avoiding tokenism, and addressing language, literacy, accessibility, and ethical considerations. Interpreting and translating diverse perspectives into policy or design decisions can also be complex.

Across disciplines, deltagarperspektiv is used in health research, education, urban planning, social work, and service design. It complements traditional researcher-centered methods and is related to concepts such as participatory action research, co-design, user-centered design, and stakeholder engagement.