Co-design

Co-design is a collaborative process that aims to develop new solutions to problems through ‘design thinking’ approaches that involve a wide range of stakeholders, including those who are most affected [1]. Co-design emphasises designing solutions to problems with people who are affected, rather than for them [2].

Co-design is based on a design thinking process. It aims to generate innovative solutions to challenges by opening up new ways of thinking about the problem and solutions. Design thinking has its roots in human-centred design of technologies and services [1]. Human-centred design approaches are used by the Victorian Government to design services that meet the needs of Victorians by putting people at the centre of the design process [3].

The co-design process

Co-design processes based on design thinking begin with a discovery stage to understand and define the problem, followed by brainstorming ideas, prototyping and testing.

The Design Thinking approach from the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design (d-School) at Stanford (and adapted by IDEO) has five phases [4]:

Empathise – understand what people need from solutions by understanding their lives and what is meaningful to them. Have conversations and listen to people’s stories to generate insights

Define – use the insights gained from people who will be affected by solutions to frame the problem and generate a problem statement

Ideate – brainstorm ideas about how to solve the problem by asking ‘How might we…’ questions.  Think creatively as a group, and build on each other’s ideas to generate a wide range of potential solutions

Prototype – prototype some of the ideas using sketches, storyboards or low fidelity mock-ups that are quick to make

Test - get feedback on the prototypes using role-plays or walkthroughs and refine them based on the feedback. Try to test solutions in the context of people’s lives

Design thinking processes are iterative, so teams may go through this process several times, narrowing their focus as prototypes of solutions become more concrete and detailed.

Design thinking approaches include ‘divergent’ stages and ‘convergent’ stages [1]. Divergent stages are relatively open and aim to generate many different ideas or approaches, while ‘convergent’ stages narrow the focus to particular approaches or ideas that are refined.

Recommended external resources

IDEO’s Field guide to human-centred design is a step-by-step guide to design thinking approaches and methods

Putting equity at the centre of co-design

Successful co-design processes require strategies to ensure inclusion of people who are affected by food system problems and their solutions, particularly those who experience forms of injustice and who may not typically be at the table when decisions are made. This includes people who experience racial, social, economic and climate injustice.

Co-designing approaches to address food insecurity with people who have lived experience is important in developing dignified solutions. Population groups with high levels of food insecurity include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples, low-income households, people who are unemployed or unable to work, and refugees and asylum seekers [6] [8]. Successful involvement of people with lived experience requires tailoring of co-design processes.

Victoria’s First Peoples experience many forms of injustice related to ongoing processes of colonisation. Colonisation has undermined Aboriginal foodways, including access to Aboriginal foods and the economic resources, lands and waterways to produce these foods [9]. First Peoples have a right to participate in decisions on issues that affect their rights [10], and culturally safe processes of co-design can contribute to this.

Strategies for inclusion in co-design

• Prioritise the involvement of communities and people who experience injustice in co-design
• Build relationships of trust with the communities you want to involve before co-designing
• Establish a project advisory or steering group that includes people from the communities you want to involve in co-design
• Tailor processes of co-design to meet the needs of the people you are co-designing with
• Consult with the communities you want to involve about how you can reduce barriers to participation in co-design