Design Practice for Social Innovation

I recently ran a workshop at the SOCANZ Auckland Innovation Conference titled Design Practice for Innovation:. The focusing question for the workshop was: How can we use creative design approaches to co-create value?

With workshops at the conference lasting only 90 minutes the aim was to provide participants with:

• A hands on introduction to some core principles, practices and process of design
• An exploration of the potential benefits in the context of social innovation and how participants might apply (or be applying) aspects of this in their own contexts
• Pointers for where to go to learn more

Max Adler of Imminent Service Design helped facilitate the session (thanks Max!) and we with worked with 30 fabulous participants from a range of community and social sector organisations from across New Zealand.

Design is an action-based practice and best explored through experiential rather than theoretical means. In this vein the workshop was hands-on and included two ‘Design Doing’ activities (User Journey Mapping & Prototyping). These activities enabled participants to reflect on some of the core principles and practices of design – as well as how they might be applied in their own context – on the basis of (a little!) hands-on experience.

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Co-design Workshop Resources: Techniques and Methods

This is a work in progress bibliography of  industry articles and academic papers that describe, discuss or demonstrate various co-design and collaborative workshop techniques. (See also related post on Design Guides/Frameworks/Toolkits). Any further contributions welcome.

Co-design method/technique Overviews

Liz Sanders is the first start point for Co-design Techniques and methods, she makes all her presentations and papers available at www.maketools.com

Convivial Toolbox: Generative Research for the Front End of Design by Liz Sanders and Pieter Jan Stappers provides extensive coverage of generative toolkits and how they can be used in practice.

A Framework for Organising the Tools and Techniques of Participatory Design by Sanders, Brandt and Binder this paper provides a framework for thinking about how, when and why different co-design methods and techniques work and can be used.

Creativity-based Research: The Process of Co-Designing with Users: A great over view of some of the methods and techniques by Catalina Naranjo-Bock (also drawing on Liz’s work) for UX Magazine

Enabling Co-design A discussion of principles and techniques by myself and Natalie Rowland for Johnny Holland.

Creating Together, Building Value with Participatory Design: An overview and case studies of different methods from experience design agency Experientia

Not to prime is a Crime: An article on the value of “pre-tasks” to sensitise participants before workshops by Jodie Moule of Symplicit (using generative techniques such as collage).

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Design Guides, Frameworks & Toolkits: A Working Resource List

One of my recent projects has been the development of a (soon to be available) participatory design framework for Youth Mental Health Promotion research developed in collaboration with the Inspire Foundation and the Young and Well Cooperative Research Centre in Australia. As part of prior research for the project I collated a selection of examples of design toolkits and guides that I thought I would share here. Some of them have a particularly inclusive or participatory focus, others are more classic tool kits and guides. I know there are many others out there so please feel free to point to more! Thanks.  Continue reading…