New Design Ideas

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of integrating extreme users—individuals whose needs fall outside the average user profile—into co-design processes. While participatory methodologies promote inclusion and contextual relevance, their implementation with extreme users presents methodological, ethical, and practical barriers. This study draws on an international seminar with experts in people-centered design and employs a mixed-methods approach: a perception survey, content analysis of participant discussions, and a real-time infographic. The quantitative findings describe a diverse audience in terms of gender, age, and professional background, with strong representation from the design field. The qualitative analysis reveals key themes such as the need for empowerment, methodological adaptation, and the facilitator role of the designer. Tensions also emerged, including difficulties in scaling outcomes and validating co-design as scientific knowledge. Despite these limitations, participants emphasized the value of co-creation as a tool for inclusion and collective knowledge-building. This paper offers recommendations for developing more inclusive and adaptable participatory frameworks, highlighting that the integration of extreme users is not merely a methodological choice but an ethical commitment to equity and meaningful participation.