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Co-design

Co-design

Co-design means designing with, not for, people. The terms co-design and co-creation are today often confused and/or treated synonymously with one another. Co-Design is about collaboratively designing services with service-users, service-deliverers and service-procurers. Co-Creation is the process of engaging in both co-design and co-production (collaboratively delivering services in an equal and reciprocal relationships)

The move from user-centered design to co-designing is having an impact on the roles of the players in the design process [1]. In co-design, the person who will eventually be served through the design process is given the position of ‘expert of his/her experience’, and plays a large role in knowledge development, idea generation and concept development. That is, those with lived experience and knowledge of the problem are involved in the solution. Any research is to support the “expert of his/her experience” by providing tools for ideation and expression. The role of the research is often similar to or part of the role of facilitation. They are bringing people into the design process in the ways most conducive to their ability to participate. The designer still plays a critical role in giving form to the ideas through tools for ideation, but “users” play co-creating roles throughout the design process.

Put simply, co-design is the act of creating with stakeholders. For example, in a social services context, co-design is about designing and delivering community services in a partnership – an equal and reciprocal relationship – between funders, service providers and the people using services (and often their carers, families and others in their community.) In this context, co-design requires convening diverse actors from across the system - government agencies, service providers, service users and others.

Co-design can occur at different levels [2]:

Individual level: for example in the development of individualised support plans actively involving the person who requires assistance, their family/carers, service providers and other stakeholders.

Program level: involving design or redesign of a specific program which will often only involve one funder/ procuring agency but may involve consumers and more than one service provider.

Place based level: focusing on a location, e.g. community, town, or region and consideration is given to how best to design services comprehensively for the relevant population of that location. This may involve multiple funders, service providers and programs, as well as a wide range of service users and other stakeholders.

System level: It is arguable that the greatest opportunity for major transformational change occurs where the design process considers the best way of delivering services at a whole of system level. This may involve multiple levels of government, numerous agencies, communities and individuals and involve development of innovative solutions to current and future issues, removing current siloed approaches where these exist [2].

Accessibility:

This activity requires participants to engage is sensemaking and pattern recognition

This activity requires participants to engage is social learning

Output: The output from the co-design approach will vary depending on the method used. Examples may include empathy or journey maps, or service design blueprints.

This is an Approach: a broadest set of activity, with the loosest defined procedure. It often is indicated by a Framework or Concepts, and can involve multiple methods and processes, and is often applied over many sessions, and the group of people can change over time.

Investment: medium cost, medium resources, high skill, high time

Additional Readings:

Outcomes

When and Why Do I Use This

As an approach, co-design belongs at every stage of the process - it is a key element of Purposeful Engagement.

It can be required when:

Attachments