Co-Creation in UX/UI Design

Co-creation and collaboration both involve teamwork, but they’re different in approach and outcome.

Collaboration happens when different teams or individuals work together toward a common goal. In service design, this might involve designers, developers, and business stakeholders aligning their expertise to improve a customer journey. However, collaboration typically happens within an organization—users or customers may not directly contribute.

Co-creation, on the other hand, extends beyond the tight core of teams like design teams. It involves a broader range of stakeholders—such as frontline employees and “backstage” staff—actively shaping a service. They don’t just provide feedback—they participate in idea generation, prototyping, and decision-making.

For example, a bank redesigning its digital services might co-create by working directly with branch employees to map pain points and test solutions. This ensures the final service does meet real needs, not just internal assumptions.

In service design, co-creation leads to more user-centered, innovative solutions because it involves those who actually experience the service firsthand.

Watch as CEO of Experience Dynamics, Frank Spillers explains important points about co-creation:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation and collaboration.

Co-creation benefits both businesses and users by leading to more innovative, user-centered solutions.

For businesses, co-creation helps reduce guesswork by involving key stakeholders in the design process. This leads to products and services that better match real user needs, and so raises levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty. It also reduces development risks, since early user input helps identify issues before launch. What’s more, co-creation drives innovation, as fresh perspectives bring new ideas businesses might not have considered.

For users, co-creation gives them a voice in shaping the products and services they use. This leads to more intuitive, relevant, and satisfying experiences. It builds a sense of ownership, too, making users more likely to engage with and advocate for the brand.

Watch our video for important points about co-creation:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation and collaboration.

First, businesses identify key stakeholders—including stakeholders from different departments. Next, facilitate workshops, interviews, or brainstorming sessions to gather ideas and pain points. During the prototyping phase, users test early versions of the service, and provide hands-on feedback.

After testing, it’s important to refine and iterate based on user input to ensure the final solution is both functional and user-friendly. Throughout the process, continuous collaboration helps shape the design, reducing the risk of failure. When done well, co-creation leads to more innovative, user-centered solutions—ones that drive engagement, loyalty, and long-term success.

Watch our video on empathy, a key area to consider throughout the design process:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation.

The co-creation process in service design follows key stages to ensure services meet real user needs through collaboration.

1. Discovery and research – Identify stakeholders—like frontstage and backstage service providers—and gather insights through interviews, surveys, and observations to understand pain points and needs.

2. Ideation & concept development—Run workshops or brainstorming sessions in which participants generate ideas and possible solutions together.

3. Prototyping and testing – Create service prototypes—such as journey maps, mock-ups, or pilot programs—and test them with users to collect feedback.

4. Iteration and refinement – Based on user feedback, refine the service and so improve functionality, accessibility, and user experience.

5. Implementation and evaluation – It’s time to launch the final service—and ongoing feedback helps monitor success and identify areas for future improvement.

Watch our video about frontstage and backstage in service design for important insights:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation.

Managing diverse perspectives in co-creation can be challenging—but addressing differences well leads to better outcomes.

One major challenge is conflicting priorities—as many types of stakeholders and designers may have different needs and expectations. Clear communication and well-defined goals help everyone get “on the same page.”

Another issue is bias and power dynamics. Some voices may dominate discussions while others stay silent, so facilitators should encourage equal participation to ensure all perspectives are heard and valued.

It’s tricky to balance innovation with feasibility, too. Bold ideas may come up in ideation sessions, but businesses must consider budget, technology, and scalability. Testing and iteration help find the way to practical solutions.

Moreover, cultural and language differences can create misunderstandings—so inclusive language and visuals are needed.

Last—but not least—it’s vital to manage feedback effectively. Prioritizing and integrating diverse input without overwhelming the process will keep things on track. When they’re handled well, diverse perspectives fuel more inclusive, user-centered, and innovative solutions.

Watch our video for important points about co-creation:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation and collaboration.

You need structure and flexibility to balance creative freedom with project constraints in co-creation.

Start by setting clear goals and boundaries—let participants know the budget, timeline, and technical limits upfront. When people understand the constraints, they can come up with realistic yet innovative ideas.

Use structured brainstorming methods to keep creativity. Encourage open collaboration—but always tie ideas back to user needs and business goals. If an idea isn’t feasible, look for ways to simplify or adapt it instead of shutting it down.

Prototype and test early to see what works within the given constraints. Prioritize solutions that offer the best mix of innovation, practicality, and user value.

By giving people the freedom to explore ideas while keeping them grounded in real-world limits, you create better, more user-centered designs without losing creativity.

Watch our video for important points about co-creation:

Watch our Master Class Harness Your Creativity to Design Better Products with Alan Dix, Professor, Author and Creativity Expert

One big mistake is not involving the right stakeholders. For example, if you only gather input from executives and designers but leave out frontline employees or customers, the final service may not meet real user needs.

Another issue is the lack of clear goals. Without a clear purpose, co-creation sessions can become unfocused. That can lead to ideas that don’t align with either business or user needs and sessions that go nowhere.

Ignoring power dynamics is also a problem. Some voices may dominate while others go unheard—and it can be tricky if there are workplace politics, too. Facilitators should create a balanced space where all participants contribute and nobody “pulls rank” to suppress others. After all, one of those others may hold the key to a solution.

Another thing to watch out for is failing to prototype and test ideas early. That leads to wasted time on unworkable concepts, so iteration is key to refining solutions.

Last—but not least—not acting on feedback makes participants feel unheard, and gems of solution-finding insight might get lost. Successful co-creation turns insights into real, user-centered service improvements.

Watch our video for important points about co-creation:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation and collaboration.

To know if what came out of a co-creation process is effective, you’ll want to evaluate both user experience and business impact. To start, assess user satisfaction. Surveys, interviews, and feedback forms can reveal whether participants feel heard and whether the final service meets their needs.

Next, analyze service improvements. Compare usability metrics like task completion rates, error reduction, and accessibility enhancements before and after co-creation.

Business impact matters, too. Track KPIs like customer retention, conversion rates, and operational efficiency. If a service redesign reduces complaints, increases usage, or streamlines workflows, well done—the process was effective.

Last—but not least—observe long-term adaptability—successful co-creation fosters continuous improvement by keeping users engaged beyond initial development. When a co-created service is both user-friendly and business-efficient, the process has achieved its goal.

Watch our video for important points about co-creation:

Take our Service Design course, which examines many aspects of co-creation.

Hämäläinen, M., & Karjalainen, T.-M. (2018). The Art of Co-Creation: A Guidebook for Practitioners. Springer.

This book explores co-creation as a dynamic form of collective creativity that fosters breakthrough insights. It provides a practical guide for leaders and facilitators to unlock their teams' creative potential. Drawing from design and organizational development, the authors emphasize a human-centered approach—highlighting experience design as key to true co-creation. This work reveals how leaders can shift from control to facilitation, nurturing empathy and awareness to create collaborative spaces where innovation thrives. The authors offer insights into guiding stakeholders beyond existing expertise into new creative potential—equipping process designers with tools to develop more effective co-creative programs.

Deaver, C., & Clawson, I. (2023). Brave Together: Lead by Design, Spark Creativity, and Shape the Future with the Power of Co-Creation. McGraw Hill.

Brave Together explores co-creation as a transformative approach to leadership and culture, challenging the hustle-driven mindset that leads to burnout. Drawing insights from Apple, Pixar, and other innovators, the book highlights how collaboration fuels creativity and success. Authors Chris Deaver and Ian Clawson introduce powerful principles such as The Mirror Test, The Hero’s Sacrifice, and Become the Future, offering a framework for fostering inclusive, high-impact cultures. Through compelling stories and tested strategies, they guide leaders in shaping work environments where creativity thrives, ideas flourish, and success is shared—not just self-made. This book redefines leadership for a more connected future.

Wetter-Edman, K., Sangiorgi, D., Edvardsson, B., Holmlid, S., Grönroos, C., & Mattelmäki, T. (2014). Design for value co-creation: Exploring synergies between design for service and service logic. Service Science, 6(2), 106–121.

This paper bridges Service Logic and Design for Service, exploring how human-centered design can shape service systems. It compares core concepts such as actors, resources, integration, and participation—showing how Service Logic explains value co-creation through resource integration, while Design for Service provides methods to redesign service systems. The study highlights design’s role in service innovation, shifting from a development phase to an active approach for engaging users in value creation. From distinguishing collaborative approaches for reconfiguring resources, the paper emphasizes the role of co-creation in designing service ecosystems that enhance user experiences and business innovation.