CompEdu: A Participatory Design Intervention for Digital Literacy and Safety in Refugee Communities

Abstract

This paper describes the participatory design and implementation of CompEdu, a digital literacy and safety platform co-developed with the Karen refugee community in Buffalo, New York. Many refugee learners face barriers due to lack of culturally responsive technology training that accounts for their language, prior experiences, and digital comfort levels. In collaboration with a local community organization, we facilitated a series of co-design sessions with members of the Karen community to shape a platform that responded to their lived realities and digital needs. The process prioritized practically relevant content, novice-friendly design, and linguistically accessible, especially in relation to online safety and everyday digital tasks. We share key lessons from this community-engaged effort, including the importance of trust-building, multimodal learning strategies, and designing for intergenerational and peer-based use. This experience offers insights into how participatory design can advance digital inclusion and ethical, community-centered technology.