Our Water Stories: A four-part participatory film method to support children set the agenda for design

Child-initiated, adult-supported forms of participation are generally regarded as an authentic form of child participation. Within PD however, this type of participation is rarely supported; children are generally invited into a PD process after research has been defined, scoped, and initiated. Here, we introduce a four-part participatory film method designed to support children reveal child-specific knowledges about their everyday lives, and together with adults identify priority areas that can form the starting point for design. We illustrate the application of this method through the Our Water Stories project, carried out with seven children (10 - 11 years) over six weeks in 2022 to understand their everyday experiences of water. Our analysis revealed three types of child-specific knowledges related to water: water perspectives, sensorial knowledges, and reflections on their voice. These are translated into three child-initiated design problems that we intend to explore in future research.