Abstract 

Participation is touted as the holy grail of democratic design—a virtuous process ensuring stakeholders have a voice and solutions are fit for purpose. But in practice, is it merely theater? In this talk, we peel back the layers of "participation" across user interface design, urban development, and organizational strategy to reveal an uncomfortable truth: traditionally, it is often misleading, performative, or simply ineffective. We will examine why current methods fail to translate stakeholder voices into impact, leaving the promise of participation broken. Finally, we pivot to a counter-intuitive solution. Rather than distancing us, can artificial intelligence be the unexpected catalyst for genuine human connection? We will explore how AI can move us beyond tokenism to enable impactful participation.

Bio

Frode Eika Sandnes is a full professor in the Department of Computer Science at the Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), and a Distinguished Teaching Fellow. He received a B.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of Reading, UK. His research interests include human-computer interaction generally, and universal design and accessibility specifically. Dr. Sandnes was the primus motor for the establishment of the first master's specialization in accessibility in Norway. He is an editorial board member of Universal Access in the Information Society and Interacting with Computers. He has hosted several international conferences, including NordiCHI. Sandnes is the Norwegian representative to the IFIP Technical Committee on Human-Computer Interaction (TC13). He was involved in the translation of WCAG 2.0 into Norwegian, has written several textbooks, served on the board of the usability special interest group of the Norwegian Computer Society, and was a Ministry of Culture-appointed advisory board member for the Norwegian Library of Braille and Audio Books under the National Library of Norway.

Tea/coffee, cake and fruit will be served @2pm.