Knowledge Base Repository
In addition to research papers, the Design Society is developing several valuable resources for those interested in the study of design. These include a repository of PhD theses, a library of case studies and transcripts of design activities, and an archive of our newsletters. Please note that these resources are accessible exclusively to Design Society members.
FACILITATING CHILDREN'S ARTISTIC IDENTITY: SERVICE DESIGN FOR CHILDREN’S EXHIBITION PARTICIPATION EXPERIENCES
Hannah KANG; Yong-Ki LEE
Type:
Year:
2026
Editor:
Yong Se Kim; Yutaka Nomaguchi; Cees de Bont; Jianxi Luo; Xiaofang Yuan; Linna Hu; Meng Wang
Author:
Series:
Other endorsed
Institution:
Dongseo University, South Korea
Page(s):
173-180
Abstract:
This study examines how service-design-driven facilitation fosters children’s artistic identity in an exhibition context. We analyze the “Little Artists’ Exhibition” at the 2nd Root Festival in Jincheon, South Korea, where the researcher acted as facilitator–designer to orchestrate the end-to-end process. A hybrid journey–blueprint orchestration (managed in Notion) linked frontstage experience and backstage operations in real time, enabling timely feedback, scheduling, and role coordination. In response to parents’ questions about originals, all works were printed and exhibited as A1 digital panels, reducing travel and handling burdens while ensuring consistent visual quality. Symbolic cues (artist name tags, red hats, and personalized memorabilia) made recognition visible and socially legible. Mixed-methods data were collected from seven child–parents pairs through smiley-scale child surveys, parent surveys, online interviews, and field observations. Identity-related items were high (Q5, Q8, Q9: M = 4.62 / 5), most items were ≥ 4.0, and qualitative evidence showed embodied recognition (posture shifts, smiles, repeated glances at panels). Variability in self-explanation (Q2) motivated the “Light Docent” model (short, voluntary introductions (≈1–3 minutes) that provide adaptive scaffolding for public authorship). Findings offer two contributions for service design: (1) a practicable method of hybrid process orchestration that translates journey/blueprint logics into real-time facilitation control, and (2) an adaptive facilitation pattern (Light Docent) that respects heterogeneous confidence while nurturing authorship. Limitations include a single-site case and potential facilitator–researcher bias; future work should test comparative settings and modest inferential analyses to examine relationships among symbolic cues, orchestration decisions, and identity outcomes.
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