Cultural Probes

A design research technique in which participants are given a kit of open-ended, often playful artefacts - such as disposable cameras, diaries, maps, or prompts - to document aspects of their daily life over time. The returned materials surface experiences, values, and contexts that interviews or observation alone would miss. In inclusive and accessibility-focused co-design, probes can give people with communication or cognitive disabilities expressive, non-verbal ways to contribute, though kits must be adapted to participants' abilities and support needs.