Co-Design
“Co-design” refers to a participatory approach to designing solutions, in which community members are treated as equal collaborators in a development process. The practice was originally developed by companies and service providers who worked with their consumers to co-design a new product or service that met the needs of the consumers. In the community development world it is about combining ‘lived experience and professional expertise to identify and create an outcome or product.’1 This outcome or product could be a service, a new local government funding stream, a decrease in loneliness… whatever is important to your collective!
Co-design in community development can be between two or more organisations, a Community Centre and their members, the local government and a community group, and many more combinations. Co-design supports the community development principles of active citizenship, empowerment and community engagement. It also promotes equality and respect of diversity as the expertise of community members and volunteers is considered to be just as important as the expertise of sector experts.
Extend Your Learning
Check out this list of techniques and methods for running co-design workshops.
None of us is as smart as all of us.
– Ken Blanchard
Co-design is more of a process based on principles than a single event. It is circular and ever evolving as the information received continues to inform future practices. There is always more to learn and more information to collect!
NSW Council of Social Services (NCOSS) defines co-design principles as:
Click on or hover over the cards below for more information
Inclusive
Iterative
Respectful
Outcomes focussed
Participative
Collaboration is required for co-design, however, not all collaboration can be considered co-design. Co-design is just one of the many collaborative practice activities we can use in our community development work. Co-design will not always be appropriate because of the time it can take and the fact that there is no real start and end point. Consider your situation carefully before committing to a co-design approach.
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- NSW Council of Social Services (2017). Principles of Co-Design. Fair Deal Forum. Accessed on 22/02/23 at https://www.ncoss.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Codesign-principles.pdf
Read this short Guide to Co-Design from the Sunlight Foundation. It includes a case study and important tips.
