One of the underlying difficulties in assessing the effectiveness of participatory design initiatives is the very broad range of concepts and agendas it can name, from essentially a public relations technique for plans already formed at the outset to facilitating community self-determination.

• What tools and techniques have worked for what kind of participation?
• Must we recognize or reject the idea that every participatory process starts with a measure of social engineering? Must there be a meta-design process at the outset of some projects? Full disclosure of the methods and rationale for the choices made?

• Case studies of participatory processes that have failed to meet expectations or goals: how? why? what can we infer from the particular case moving forward?

• Case studies of participatory processes that have achieved their goals: how? why? what can we infer from the particular case moving forward?