Over the past twelve years, the University of Johannesburg Department of Graphic Design students have developed many feasible solutions based on human-centred and participation design principles. Implementing these design solutions to foster positive change is often problematic owing to funding and handovers; consequently, many projects remain at the conceptual stage, with few making a positive difference to the external stakeholders. Nevertheless, despite these challenges, students often produce high-end and in-depth results when working with stakeholders.

This paper uses the Johannesburg Zoo undertaking as a case study to argue that participatory design, combined with Constructivist Learning and Experiential Learning Theory, within multi-disciplinary collaborative projects, can be positioned as a sustainable, socially responsible design education model. This paper is based on a series of case studies on diverse participation design projects that UJ Department of Graphic Design has worked on with the Johannesburg Zoo since 2011. These projects have ranged from various paper toys for early childhood development (ECD) learning to potential funding initiatives, branding, mural designs, marketing, and, most recently, redesigning the zoo's education centre. The outcomes of these projects demonstrate that well-integrated participation design projects can assist in solving problems within communities, developing impactful and innovative ways to engage young minds about the zoo and its functions. The case studies highlight the creative pathways an evolving project can follow toward positive impact.

This approach has a political dimension of user empowerment and democratisation. Participation design is a method that shares design responsibility and increases design innovation.