As a relatively young field, which brings together scholars from a wide variety of different ‘home’ disciplines, fan studies faces questions of disciplinary cohesion and methodological practice. Moving from a multidisciplinary space to an interdisciplinary field that creates new synergistic knowledge is facilitated by cross-discipline communication and collaboration. However, this is impeded by a variety of barriers. By examining the history of fan studies in parallel with that of design research, we can learn from the experiences of researchers developing a new discipline who faced similar concerns. This paper outlines how a bricolage approach can allow scholars in new areas of knowledge to benefit from an interdisciplinary landscape that provides methodological breadth. By using such an approach, fan studies researchers can borrow or synthesise tools most appropriate to their research questions. Examples of such novel methodological tools such as participatory action research are discussed, with consideration of how participatory approaches may cut through issues of fan/academic positioning and contribute to research with positive social value.