Codesign is a process for empowering the disenfranchised by creating together rather than creating for. Codesign applies to any planning for a shared outcome. It combines principles of design thinking (observe / empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test) with decentralization (planning and decision making distributed away from a central, authoritative group).
“You have a right to design the things that affect you.”
– Greg Walsh, design researcher
The conventional model for planning and decision making focuses on a leader or designer who is responsible for both generating potential solutions and then determining which is most successful.
A codesigned process seeks to honor the wisdom of the people for whom the solution applies and who are most intimately familiar with the originating problem by collaborating with them.
Incorporating design thinking in a codesign process helps people expand beyond assumptions and convention to see new possibilities.
Design thinking taps into capacities we all have but are overlooked by more conventional problem-solving practices. It is not only human-centered; it is deeply human in and of itself. Design thinking relies on our ability to be intuitive, to recognize patterns, to construct ideas that have emotional meaning as well as functionality, to express ourselves in media other than words or symbols. Nobody wants to [operate] based [only] on feeling, intuition, and inspiration, but an over-reliance on the rational and analytical can be just as dangerous.
– Tim Brown, Change by Design
Core steps within a codesign process include:
1. Relating and building trust
letting go of self to see others, share power, and respect diverse perspectives
Relationships are the most fundamental part of the codesign process. When participants feel connected and to each other and trusting, they open themselves to true collaboration.
2. Listening & exploring
listening and sharing with empathy and creativity
Deep listening to people’s experiences perpetuates honest sharing. Honest sharing reveals truths necessary to create relevant outcomes.
3. Defining
exploring possibilities and defining a shared vision
When a codesign cohort feels trust and when they’ve listened to each other, they are prepared to explore the possibilities that emerge from the group, free from contrived individual assumptions.
4. Creating
thinking by doing; experimenting and innovating; prototyping to learn iteratively
Design thinking requires a bias toward acting. Once the group has defined a shared vision, the exploration is prototyped in its minimum viable form to test with actual users. Results are observed and incorporated in subsequent cycles of prototyping.
5. Analyzing
focusing on outcomes and reflecting on impact
The outcome of the codesign process is the ultimate measure of its worth. Reflecting on the impact of what was produced and then learning from it is key to distinguishing codesign from conventional approaches which typically end at delivery.