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What is Codesign?

Codesign is a collaborative approach where designers work together with non-designers to create solutions. Designers act as facilitators and guide the participants through the design process. Codesign aims to harness the collective wisdom and insights of everyone involved, especially the end-users, to innovate and solve problems effectively.

Traditional design, on the other hand, typically involves designers working independently or within a team, making decisions based on their expertise, user research and best practices. Users might be involved through research or testing but are not usually part of the creative process or decision-making. This approach relies heavily on the designer's skills, knowledge, and interpretation of user needs.

In this video, UX design pioneer Don Norman talks about the importance of collaboration between design and other fields.

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    Let me talk about the issues in the 21st  century – the issues that are faced by designers. I've talked a lot about human-centered design, and we're starting to look at *complex socio-technical systems*. How do we teach? How do we instruct people? Well, there are several different answers. Well, one of the things that's going to be required is  *learning how to work with other disciplines*.

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    In fact, some of the very, very best schools I've seen have done that. They work together. In my own group at the University of California, San Diego, we are doing work in many parts of the United States. But the simplest part is simply within San Diego itself because within San Diego we can find the very rich and educated, and the very  poor and homeless without a good education. We can find all sorts of people. We're also located  on the border of Mexico with the city of Tijuana.

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    And so, that brings us an international flavor where we can start looking at the – first of all, there are really good software designers and other design skills in Tijuana, Mexico; and second, they have a very different outlook on life than we do, and combining that with what we do is wonderful. It enriches everyone. And so, we're working with other design schools in the city;

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    we're working with the city itself, with the mayor, with the Economic Development Corporation, and area governments, to try to look at what the major issues are inside of San Diego and how they can be addressed. And you can do the same. The people at the Royal College of Art in London told me they worked with the city to devise a scheme for new ambulances, new ways of taking care of injured and getting them to the hospital systems. There are lots of *local problems* that therefore allow you to *express your abilities*

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    and *work together with non-traditional groups*, like the city, like the politicians, like economists, like political scientists, like engineers, like businesspeople. That's how we change design, and you can do it all by yourself.

This method is particularly powerful as it combines diverse perspectives and leads to more inclusive, creative and user-centered outcomes. Codesign can take many forms, such as workshops, brainstorming sessions or continuous collaboration.

Table of contents
  1. What is Codesign?
  2. Why Is Codesign Important?
      1. Enhances User Satisfaction and Ownership
      2. Fosters Innovation and Creativity
      3. Improves Efficiency and Effectiveness
      4. Builds Better Relationships and Trust
      5. Encourages Empathy and Ethical Design
      6. Adaptable Across Contexts
  3. The Codesign Process: A Step-by-Step Guide
    1. Step 1: Assemble the Team
    2. Step 2: Define Goals and Objectives
    3. Step 3: Engage in Collaborative Workshops
    4. Step 4: Prototype and Test
    5. Step 5: Implement and Reflect
    6. Step 6: Documentation and Follow-Up
  4. When Should Designers Use Codesign?
  5. When Should Designers Not Use Codesign?
  6. Codesign vs. Participatory Design: What’s the Difference?
    1. Participatory Design
    2. Codesign
  7. Codesign: Successful Case Studies
    1. Healthcare—The Mayo Clinic's Innovation in Patient Experience
    2. Urban Planning—The High Line in New York City
    3. Technology—Microsoft's Inclusive Design Initiative
    4. Education—IDEO's Design Thinking for Educators
  8. Where to Learn More About Codesign
  9. Questions about Codesign

Why Is Codesign Important?

Codesign is an approach to design that leads to more effective, sustainable and ethical solutions through active user and stakeholder involvement.

Here are some key benefits of the codesign approach:

Enhances User Satisfaction and Ownership

Codesign guarantees that the end products or services meet actual user needs, preferences, and contexts through the direct involvement of end-users in the design process. This method ensures solutions truly reflect what users want and need. Additionally, when users contribute to the creation process, they often develop a sense of ownership and commitment to the resulting solutions, which typically results in greater adoption and advocacy of the final product or service. This approach not only tailors outcomes to specific user requirements but also fosters a deeper connection between the user and the end product.

Fosters Innovation and Creativity

Codesign brings together individuals from various backgrounds and facilitates creative solutions that might not surface in a more homogenous setting. This diversity enriches the problem-solving process and often leads to more innovative outcomes. The collaborative nature of codesign fosters an environment where participants can exchange ideas freely, paving the way for innovative and occasionally surprising solutions. This cross-pollination of ideas from different fields and experiences is a cornerstone of the codesign methodology, driving forward thinking and unique solutions.

Improves Efficiency and Effectiveness

Codesign can reduce rework by identifying issues and gathering feedback early in the design process, which helps minimize the need for subsequent revisions. Better resource allocation results from an initial clear understanding of user needs and priorities. This approach streamlines the development process and ensures that the final product closely aligns with user expectations and requirements.

Builds Better Relationships and Trust

Codesign promotes positive relationships between organizations and users or customers, demonstrating a commitment to listen and respond. It fosters trust and transparency and allows users to witness the direct impact of their contributions while organizations obtain a more precise grasp of user needs. This approach bridges gaps between stakeholders and ensures that the design process is an open, shared journey toward a common goal.

In this video, Don Norman talks about why it is important to work with the community in humanity-centered design.

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    Humanity-centered design has five fundamental principles. For those of you who are familiar with human-centered design, humanity-centered is simply an expansion from the individual to *all of humanity*, not just the individual people who will be using the product, but those who are affected by the *making of the product*, by, well, the *disposal* of the product. Principle 1: solve the *core root issues behind the problem as given*.

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    The problem as given is often just the symptoms. Principle 2: focus on the *entire ecosystem*, people, all living things, and the environment Principle 3: take a *long-term systems point of view*, remembering that almost everything is connected and intertwined with everything else, and that many things take decades before the impact is felt.

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    Principle 4: *continually test and refine the  designs* with the people for whom they are intended to make sure it actually serves their needs. Principle 5 – and this is a new fundamental principle for humanity-centered design; principle 5 is that *we must work with the community*. The design should come from the community, designed by the people not for the people,

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    where designers act as facilitators, mentors and sources of resources to make sure that we can cover all the important issues.

Encourages Empathy and Ethical Design

Codesign advocates for a user-centered approach and champions ethical design, ensuring that every participant's contribution is valuable and that outcomes are inclusive and accessible. This method emphasizes empathy and ethics, ensuring that the design respects and reflects the needs and rights of all involved.

Adaptable Across Contexts

Codesign can work in various contexts, from product and service design to community planning and policy development. It ensures solutions are culturally sensitive and appropriate and reflects various cultural insights and considerations. This approach broadens the applicability of design solutions and respects and incorporates the cultural nuances vital for success in a global context.

In this video, Don Norman explains why designers can act as facilitators and help solve complex problems.

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    So, let's call this episode: 'But why designers? What's so special about designers?' And the reason I use that title is because when  I look at some of the major problems in the world that we are trying to address, what designers can do is designers, first of all, are used to working with all the different experts in many different fields;

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    they're used to bringing them together to try to figure out what is needed from each discipline and put it together into a solution because design is not a field of analysis. Design is a field of *synthesis*. That is to say, we're a field of *doing* – actually doing something in the world. So, that's not your normal university discipline. Most university disciplines are all about studying the problem and having all sorts of wonderful theoretical results, which get published in all the scientific journals. *No*.

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    What we're trying to do is actually *solve the real problem* on the ground *with the people* who are being affected. So, we bring that approach – a focus on the people – and we work within the cultures. In fact, the best way of doing that is that *we don't do it*. We find the people already living there who  are already starting to address the problem. They understand their culture. They understand  what is possible and what is not possible. And let them drive the system – what we're calling 'community-driven design'.

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    But what we are able to do – most of the community-driven design approaches are actually solving the *symptoms* – and what we're able to do is help them get to the *underlying causes*, and also to bring in the *system approach* because individuals and small groups aren't capable of doing the very large work, to think of this as an entire system where everything has to come together – many, many different disciplines,

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    and, for that matter, the economics of the country are very important in solving the problem, and the politics of the country, and even world trade – the politics of world trade. These are all important. But designers have that skill, by *finding the  right problem*, *bringing together the systems* and always a *focus upon the people* or – if you like – *upon humanity*. So, that's the power that designers have.

The Codesign Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

The codesign process typically unfolds through the following sequential steps:

Step 1: Assemble the Team

  • Identify Stakeholders: Designers should first identify who needs to be involved in the codesign process. This typically includes end users, fellow designers, and key stakeholders.

  • Ensure Diversity: Designers must ensure the team is diverse and represents all aspects of the user base and stakeholders.

Step 2: Define Goals and Objectives

  • Establish a Shared Vision: Designers should collaborate with the entire team to define what success looks like and ensure that everyone is aligned on the main objectives.

  • Set SMART Goals: Designers should guide the team to set Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound goals to steer the project clearly.

Step 3: Engage in Collaborative Workshops

  • Prepare the Space: Designers should arrange a conducive space for creativity and collaboration and ensure it's equipped with the necessary materials.

  • Facilitate Discussions: Employ techniques like brainstorming or mind mapping to generate ideas and discuss needs. Designers should encourage every participant to contribute and ensure all voices are heard; create an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing.

Step 4: Prototype and Test

  • Create Prototypes: Designers should turn ideas into tangible prototypes, from simple paper models to sophisticated digital versions.

  • User Testing: Involve users in testing these prototypes and observe their interactions and feedback.

  • Iterate: Designers should use the feedback to make improvements and iterate the design until it meets the predefined objectives.

Step 5: Implement and Reflect

  • Finalize Design: Once the prototype meets the project goals and user needs, designers should finalize the design.

  • Reflect on the Process: Designers should lead a discussion on what worked well and what could be improved in future codesign projects.

Step 6: Documentation and Follow-Up

  • Document Everything: Maintain detailed records of the process, decisions made, and feedback received.

  • Communicate Outcomes: Designers should share the outcomes with all participants and stakeholders, being transparent about how their input was incorporated.

When Should Designers Use Codesign?

Codesign is most beneficial for complex problems involving multiple stakeholders, such as in community development or innovative product creation. It's most effective when the project outcome directly impacts these individuals or when innovative, user-centered solutions are needed. Codesign fosters innovation and ensures adaptable, resilient solutions to evolving needs and environments. 

Moreover, codesign is valuable in scenarios that require strong buy-in and ownership, like organizational changes or community initiatives. It is essential for sensitive or highly personalized areas, particularly in healthcare, where user experience significantly affects design effectiveness. While not every project may need the intense collaboration of codesign, for those that do, it provides a route to more innovative, empathetic, and user-aligned solutions, leading to higher success and satisfaction for everyone involved.

When Should Designers Not Use Codesign?

Codesign might not be the most appropriate approach in scenarios that require deep technical expertise or specialized knowledge beyond the typical user's scope. In projects where the development hinges on highly technical solutions or niche expertise, traditional methods led by specialized professionals might be more effective. 

Similarly, codesign may not suit tight timelines or resource constraints due to its inherently collaborative and time-consuming nature. Projects with strict deadlines or limited flexibility might benefit from more direct and decisive approaches.

Furthermore, when project goals are very clear, or if the project involves minor updates with minimal impact, the extensive engagement and iterative nature of codesign might not add significant value. It's also less suitable in environments characterized by conflict or high competition, where the necessary trust and openness for collaborative design are lacking. 

Codesign vs. Participatory Design: What’s the Difference?

Codesign and participatory design are often used interchangeably in the design world, but they have nuances that set them apart. Both are collaborative approaches that involve stakeholders in the design process, yet the emphasis and origin of each term vary slightly.

Participatory Design

Participatory design originated in Scandinavia in the 1960s and 1970s as a product of workplace democracy movements. It aimed to empower workers, ensuring systems and processes they encounter daily reflected their input and met their needs, granting them a substantial role in decision-making. Traditionally, experts apply participatory design in organizational transformation and development, especially within IT systems and workplace settings.

In this video, Victor Udoewa, Service Design Lead at NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer Research (SBIR/STTR) Program, discusses participatory design's origins. Victor makes the case that, in many ways, participatory design is how humans naturally go about solutions. In one way or another, it has been around as long as humans have.

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    When did participatory design emerge?' you hear answers like 'Well, in the 1970s, I think, with Collaborative Design in Scandinavia.' Some people might say, 'Okay, 1960 with Karl Linn,the father of Participatory Architecture' or Jane Jacobs with a wonderful book that critiqued the centralized version of urban planning and planted the seeds for participatory urban planning.' Some people might even say, 'Well, you could go into the 1940s with the Participatory Action research models from Europe.' But notice, whether '40s, '60s or '70s, the arrow – all three

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    of those arrows on the right are right on top of each other. Because we're saying that for 300,000 years there has been no participatory design. Really? What if design is just in its simplest form some kind of time of taking in information, some time of coming up with an idea or multiple

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    ideas and then some time where you implement those ideas or test them? And that when you do that in community, it's participatory design. Well, if that's the case, I'm willing to bet that there are many, many more examples of participatory design before the 1940s. We could go to ancient Mesopotamia where civilization was booming and burgeoning and they were dealing with the problem of how do we grow enough food for all these people and we keep increasing the numbers? And when it rains too much, the crops areruined,

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    and when it doesn't rain enough, the crops are ruined. So, they built these large storage basins and then they dug these things called canals that connected these large storage basins of water to each of the farms. And they built up the banks and sides of the river. And so, yes, that design – the canals – began to proliferate around the world, but it first arrived as a community answer to a community problem. But even if you go back to 3000 years ago with the actual first codification of the

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    Ayurvedic or the Siddha traditional systems of medicine, they were only encoding folk medicine which had been practiced for thousands of years before that. So, when we come back and we look at this timelinethat we had, we realize: Oh, wait a minute, participatory design has been happening the *entire* time; there is no separate start of participatory design, different from the start of communities. In fact, when we look at the animals who also practicedesign or even when we look at the hidden life of trees where trees below ground are locking roots and sending signals

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    through mycelia warning of impending danger, using this particular design, in order to grow greater resilience, this even goes beyond Homo sapiens. 2.6 million years ago, the first sharpened stones. If you look on the left, people would take these rocks and just hitit and create these sharpened stones. And that eventually evolved to stone hand-axes about 1.6 million years ago. And then what we call knapping tools about 400 to 200,000 years ago, and eventually on the right what you see there are cutting blades

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    that emerged around 80,000 to 40,000 years ago,but it didn't stop there. They then went on to sharp micro blades around 11 to 17,000 years ago. And then eventually 12,000 years ago we have the first axes and chisels, and all of this, which you might say is 'OK, it's experimentation',is a type of research. They're trying things and seeing if they can make this tool betterto do what they needed to do and when we look at the history of participatory research we realize: Wait a minute,

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    there is no separate beginning of participatory research that is separate from the beginning of communities; communities have always been doing this and even before the emergence of Homo sapiens. We can beencouraged by the words of research justice which says there aredifferent types of knowledge. And I think one of the problemsand the reasons that we think,'Oh, participatory research, participatory design is new' isbecause we don't understand all the different types of knowledge that exists; besides mainstream institutional knowledge or third-person knowing, we have lived experientialknowledge;

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    we have cultural knowledge, spiritual knowledge, and research justicesays all of these knowledges are *equal*. And when we begin to understand the plethora, the diversity of knowledges, it actually begins to transform our definition of research from investigation to a *pluriverse* of definitions. And the *purpose of research* to being, to establish a fact,

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    or to reach a conclusion, then becomes transformed to a pluriverse of purposes. And so, the next question for us then is, 'Well,what is participatory design?' It goes by many names, with co-operative design, collaborative design,co-design, etc. People usually mean the same thing. And I found that the same things that theymean fall into four categories. Number one, they mean *inclusion*, because I'm includingthe perspectives of people through research,

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    I call them *research participants*, I am doing participatory design. The second is a *method*. Let's do a usability study; no, let's do participatory design. The third definition I'm seeing is a *way of doing a method*. We could do a design studio. Oh, what if we did a design studio but we invited the community members to take part in the design studio? And the fourth that I've seen is a *methodology*, and when I say 'methodology', I mean either a collection of methods or a set of guiding principles or philosophy that

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    help you to choose a particular method at a particular point within a process. But whether you mean inclusion of perspectives, method, way of doing a method or methodology, in all of these ways of defining participatory design,the designer and design researcher is centered. And it used the predominant model of designer as facilitator, in which we empower the community in participatory design.

Codesign

Codesign, though with a less defined history, is a broader term that has gained popularity more recently. It emphasizes collaboration between designers and stakeholders, including users, at all stages of the design process. Rather than stemming from a political movement, it represents an inclusive approach to innovation and creativity. Its application spans various fields, extending beyond workplace environments to product development, urban planning, healthcare, and more.

In practice, the differences can blur, and the terms may be used somewhat interchangeably depending on the context. Both aim to democratize the design process, ensuring that those affected by design decisions have a hand in shaping them. However, participatory design has a stronger emphasis on the political and ethical aspects of involving users, mainly focusing on empowering marginalized or less technical users, while codesign is broadly about collaborative creativity and could be applied in more varied contexts.

Codesign: Successful Case Studies

Codesign has been successfully implemented in various fields. Here are a few case studies:

Healthcare—The Mayo Clinic's Innovation in Patient Experience

Photography of the Mayo clinic.

© Mayo Clinic, Fair Use

The Mayo Clinic employed codesign principles to improve patient care and experience. Patients, medical staff, and designers collaborated to redesign the patient experience from the ground up. They focused on everything from the physical layout of hospital rooms to the communication processes between staff and patients. The result was a more patient-centered care model, leading to higher patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes.

Urban Planning—The High Line in New York City

Photography of people walking on the High Line, in New York

The High Line, a public park built on a historic freight rail line elevated above Manhattan's West Side, is a prominent example of codesign in urban planning. The project involved community members, architects, landscape architects, and city officials. The community's input helped transform the unused rail line into a public space that reflected the needs and character of the neighborhood. Today, the High Line is a celebrated urban park and community space.

Technology—Microsoft's Inclusive Design Initiative

©Microsoft, Fair Use

Microsoft's inclusive design initiative is a technology-driven example of codesign. The company involves people with disabilities in the design process for its products and services. By doing so, Microsoft ensures that its technology is accessible and useful for people with a wide range of abilities. This approach not only benefits users with disabilities but also leads to innovations that improve usability for all customers.

Education—IDEO's Design Thinking for Educators

© IDEO, Fair Use

IDEO's Design Thinking for Educators toolkit is an example of codesign in the education sector. Teachers, students, and designers co-create solutions to improve educational experiences and outcomes. The toolkit guides them through the design process, helping to identify opportunities, prototype ideas, and implement solutions in the school environment. This approach has led to innovative classroom layouts, educational tools, and teaching methods.

These case studies illustrate the diverse applications of codesign across industries and the significant impact it can have on developing innovative, inclusive solutions that are deeply aligned with user needs. 

Where to Learn More About Codesign

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about codesign.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.

If you’d like to learn more about codesign for healthcare projects, read A generative codesign framework for healthcare innovation: development and application of an end-user engagement framework.

Learn more about the design of the High Line in the Friends of the High Line website.

Learn more about Microsoft Inclusive Design.

Learn more about IDEO's Design Thinking for Educators toolkit.

Questions about Codesign

How does codesign differ from traditional design approaches?

Co-design differs from traditional design approaches by actively involving users and stakeholders in the design process from the start, ensuring the final product closely aligns with their needs. Unlike traditional methods, where designers create solutions on their own, based on research or assumptions, co-design involves direct collaboration and shared creativity. This method leads to more innovative, inclusive, and user-centric solutions, breaking from top-down, designer-centric approaches. It shifts the role of designers to facilitators and integrates user feedback continuously, ensuring the design evolves with real input and validation.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.


How do you effectively facilitate a codesign session?

To effectively facilitate a co-design session, clearly define goals and establish a collaborative environment. Invite a diverse group of stakeholders, ensuring end user representation. Use a structured process with clear stages but allow flexibility for creativity and discussion. Equip participants with tools and methods for idea generation and decision-making. Act as a neutral guide, encourage all voices, especially quieter members, and ensure discussions stay on track. Finally, document feedback, ideas, and decisions, and plan for follow-up actions to implement insights gathered during the session.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design to learn more about co-design.


What roles do participants play in a codesign process?

In a co-design process, participants play various roles:

  • Users: Provide insights and feedback from personal experience, guiding the design to meet actual needs.

  • Designers: Facilitate sessions, introduce design thinking tools, and translate user feedback into design concepts.

  • Stakeholders: Offer perspective on business or organizational needs, constraints, and goals to align the design with broader objectives.

  • Experts: Bring specialized knowledge, whether in technology, subject matter, or methodology, to inform the design process and solutions.

  • Facilitators: Manage the dynamics of the session, ensuring productive, inclusive, and focused collaboration.

  • Each participant contributes unique value, ensuring the design reflects a comprehensive understanding of the problem, context, and possible solutions.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.


What are some common tools and techniques used in codesign?

In co-design, standard tools and techniques include:

  • Workshops: Engage participants in hands-on activities and discussions.

  • Personas: Represent user types to guide design decisions.

  • Journey Maps: Visualize user experiences to identify pain points and opportunities.

  • Brainstorming: Generate ideas freely in a group setting.

  • Prototypes: Create early, tangible versions of products for testing and feedback.

  • Storyboards: Illustrate scenarios and solutions in a narrative form.

  • Sketching: Quickly capture and communicate ideas visually.

  • Feedback Sessions: Collect and discuss user reactions to prototypes or concepts.

These tools and techniques facilitate collaboration, creativity, and user involvement, which are essential to the co-design process.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.


How does one handle conflicting ideas during codesign sessions?

To handle conflicting ideas during co-design sessions, one should:

  • Acknowledge: Recognize and validate all viewpoints to ensure participants feel heard.

  • Clarify: Ask questions to understand the root of the conflict and the needs behind each idea.

  • Reframe: Use the conflict to explore the problem from different angles and find common ground.

  • Prioritize: Help the group focus on shared goals and how different ideas might address them.

  • Vote or Consensus: Use democratic methods to decide on the best path forward if consensus isn't possible.

  • Document: Keep track of all ideas, as discarded ones might be useful later or in different contexts.

  • Follow-up: Address unresolved issues in subsequent sessions or through smaller, focused discussions.

By managing conflicts constructively, facilitators can harness diverse perspectives to enrich the co-design process and outcomes.

To learn more about how to promote effective collaboration read Effective Collaboration: How to Design Work Sessions that Work.


How is codesign implemented in different stages of the design process?

Co-design is implemented in different stages of the design process by involving users and stakeholders from the outset. Initially, it includes them in problem identification, ensuring the challenge addressed is relevant and well-defined. As the process advances, participants collaborate in ideation sessions to brainstorm solutions. During prototyping, users help create and refine concepts, offering feedback that shapes the design. Finally, in the evaluation stage, they test and validate the solution, ensuring it meets their needs effectively. This continuous involvement ensures the design remains user-centered, practical, and innovative at every stage.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design to learn more about co-design.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.


How do you select participants for a codesign process?

To select participants for a co-design process, identify a diverse group that represents the end users' spectrum. Look for individuals who directly interact with the product or service, including those with unique insights or experiences. Ensure inclusion of various ages, backgrounds, and abilities to cover various perspectives. Seek out typical users and those with extreme conditions or special needs to challenge and enrich the design. Lastly, consider stakeholders affected by the design outcomes, including community members or organizational employees, to ensure the design meets broader needs and gains necessary support.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.


How can one learn and practice codesign skills?

To learn and practice co-design skills, start by studying its principles and methodologies through courses or literature on participatory design. Engage in workshops or training sessions that focus on collaborative techniques and empathy-building. Practice active listening and facilitation by organizing group sessions or participating in design sprints that emphasize user involvement. Seek feedback and reflect on your methods regularly. Join a community of practice or find a mentor experienced in co-design for guidance and support. Finally, apply these skills in real projects, starting small if necessary and gradually take on more complex co-design challenges.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.


What are the emerging trends in codesign?

Emerging trends in co-design include digital collaboration tools that facilitate remote and asynchronous participation, broadening access and diversity of input. There's a growing emphasis on inclusivity, ensuring designs cater to a broader range of abilities and backgrounds. Sustainability is becoming a key focus, integrating environmental and social considerations into the co-design process. Additionally, co-design is expanding into public services and policy-making, influencing more sectors than ever. Lastly, there's an increased integration of data and user insights, using advanced analytics to inform and enhance the co-design process.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.


How can codesign be adapted to different cultural contexts?

To adapt co-design to different cultural contexts, first research and understand the participants' cultural norms, values, and communication styles. Customize facilitation techniques to respect these differences and encourage inclusive participation. Use local languages or translators if necessary to ensure clear communication. Modify activities and tools to be culturally relevant and sensitive. Engage local stakeholders or cultural liaisons who can guide the process and help navigate cultural nuances. Finally, be flexible and open to changing the co-design process based on feedback and observations to ensure it remains respectful and effective in each unique cultural setting.

Read Co-creation and the New Landscapes of Design and A Social Vision for Value Co-creation in Design to learn more about co-design.

Watch the Master Class Radical Participatory Design: Insights From NASA’s Service Design Lead by Victor Udoewa.

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Literature on Codesign

Here's the entire UX literature on Codesign by the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:

Learn more about Codesign

Take a deep dive into Codesign with our course Design for a Better World with Don Norman .

“Because everyone designs, we are all designers, so it is up to all of us to change the world. However, those of us who are professional designers have an even greater responsibility, for professional designers have the training and the knowledge to have a major impact on the lives of people and therefore on the earth.”

— Don Norman, Design for a Better World

Our world is full of complex socio-technical problems:

  • Unsustainable and wasteful practices that cause extreme climate changes such as floods and droughts.

  • Wars that worsen hunger and poverty.

  • Pandemics that disrupt entire economies and cripple healthcare.

  • Widespread misinformation that undermines education.

All these problems are massive and interconnected. They seem daunting, but as you'll see in this course, we can overcome them.

Design for a Better World with Don Norman is taught by cognitive psychologist and computer scientist Don Norman. Widely regarded as the father (and even the grandfather) of user experience, he is the former VP of the Advanced Technology Group at Apple and co-founder of the Nielsen Norman Group.

Don Norman has constantly advocated the role of design. His book “The Design of Everyday Things” is a masterful introduction to the importance of design in everyday objects. Over the years, his conviction in the larger role of design and designers to solve complex socio-technical problems has only increased.

This course is based on his latest book “Design for a Better World,” released in March 2023. Don Norman urges designers to think about the whole of humanity, not just individual people or small groups.

In lesson 1, you'll learn about the importance of meaningful measurements. Everything around us is artificial, and so are the metrics we use. Don Norman challenges traditional numerical metrics since they do not capture the complexity of human life and the environment. He advocates for alternative measurements alongside traditional ones to truly understand the complete picture.

In lesson 2, you'll learn about and explore multiple examples of sustainability and circular design in practice. In lesson 3, you'll dive into humanity-centered design and learn how to apply incremental modular design to large and complex socio-technical problems.

In lesson 4, you'll discover how designers can facilitate behavior-change, which is crucial to address the world's most significant issues. Finally, in the last lesson, you'll learn how designers can contribute to designing a better world on a practical level and the role of artificial intelligence in the future of design.

Throughout the course, you'll get practical tips to apply in real-life projects. In the "Build Your Case Study" project, you'll step into the field and seek examples of organizations and people who already practice the philosophy and methods you’ll learn in this course.

You'll get step-by-step guidelines to help you identify which organizations and projects genuinely change the world and which are superficial. Most importantly, you'll understand what gaps currently exist and will be able to recommend better ways to implement projects. You will build on your case study in each lesson, so once you have completed the course, you will have an in-depth piece for your portfolio.

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