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Your round-up of design thinking news and opportunities, to improve your practice.

Welcome to Design Thoughts! I’m Charlie, a freelance service designer. This newsletter is a round-up of thoughts, news and opportunities.

Codesigning with Caution

I’m working on a big government software project and a senior stakeholder suggested using codesign, initially making me wary.

I’d rather someone started with the outcome they were trying to achieve, rather than the method. Through further conversation, it became clear that they saw codesign as an important future-proofing method. For them, if something was designed with users, it would be more likely to be adopted and be successful later on. They spoke of other large government software projects with little user engagement, that failed. I whole-heartedly believe that designing with users is essential for successful services; especially large government ones.

Here I’m talking about codesign as the process of involving the users of a service, in the design process. Some of my most successful projects have involved codesign with users.

But these things to be considered before using codesign as a method:

Codesign activities can be hard-work on the participants, but also very rewarding

Research, idea generation and iterating those ideas so they work for people takes a long time, and can be a frustrating and tiring process. It can be hard-work if people are generating ideas in an area which is personal to them. For instance; social housing tenants creating a council service which helps them and their neighbours get things fixed. The subject matter could be emotionally exhausting. Because participants have a stake in the change, it can also be rewarding. To ensure success, plan activities with care, allowing time for reflection and sensitivity from facilitators.

Scope for people to make a change

Tokenistic involvement wastes everyone’s time and can lead to disillusionment. This can happen in large council regeneration projects. Decisions around the redesign of an area are already in motion, but the council wants to engage residents to sign-off the plans. This doesn’t fool the participants; they may take part, but can feel betrayed when none of their ideas come to fruition. Proper scoping can prevent this issue, offering participants a chance to impact both small and large changes.

The timeline for change

Be clear about the timeline for implementing changes when involving participants in codesign. People invest their time and energy because they want to see real improvements. Clear communication is key to managing expectations.

Budget and resources to support participants and facilitators

Codesign usually requires more resource than usual user-centred design activities. Designers, researchers and facilitators of the process need to understand how to work with people from a non-design background. Those participants need to have the power and autonomy in the project. The participants must be financially rewarded for their time. There must be time taken to recruit the right participants. Support needs to be offered to them along the process. Doing codesign in a rushed way, without the correct support, is definitely worse than not doing it at all.

Codesign can absolutely be a force for good, and rewarding to participate in when done in a mindful way. If I was going to take part in codesign as a participant, I’d want it to be around designing a local green space. I wouldn’t be interested in codesigning my home insurance. I’m happy that some services are researched, designed and built by someone else, for me to enjoy!

In the news

💰A Canadian study recently gave $7,500 to people who had been made homeless in the last 2 years. They saw really positive results - when people recieved a lump-sum it got them out of 'emergency-mode'. They were more able to plan for their future and think long-term. It massively helped them participants of the study to get back on their feet. Source​

🎉 Pinterest is changing it's algorithm so that default when searching for style ideas isn't white, thin women. The move is supported by organisations and leading activists, including National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA). An interesting example of algorithm bias being actively addressed by a company. Source​

Until next time!

Charlie