This paper examines human-robot interaction (HRI), employing Research through Design (RtD) thinking to clarify and analyze design knowledge related to participants, processes and tools, and the type of knowledge produced. This can enhance participation in participatory design and help solve wicked problems. In this paper, participation elements in HRI were classified into three dimensions, including participants and roles, typology of RtD experiments, and tools of participation based on design phases. The role of RtD thinking in understanding robot roles, ethical issues, and personalized characteristics was discussed. The effect of RtD thinking on HRI in terms of cross-border multidisciplinary communication, expanding the boundaries of robot interaction design, creating participation methods, and exploring "what is the right thing" in design were obtained. The categories of articles range from selecting participants to designing experimental processes driven by research objectives, to selecting design stage-based participation tools, that aim to enhance the effectiveness of participatory design, while facilitating interdisciplinary communication of HRI design based on RtD thinking.