Abstract
The present paper explores the notion of co-design as healing by focusing on a project with participants facing mental health problems, who met once a week, guided by open design processes. Reflecting on semi-structured interview data, as well as relevant literature from different disciplines, the paper offers a conceptual framing of how co-design can be considered as a healing practice, at a systems, social and individual level. At a systems level, co-design allows working with complexity, and approaching mental health problems holistically. At a social level, co-design empowers collectives to negotiate what realities to change and how. At an individual level, co-design affects people’s wellbeing, by enhancing their sense of agency and connection, stimulating thinking and essentially providing a grounding embodied experience. The paper offers a lens through which to reflect and expand on what we do as designers, and supports the notion of co-design as healing with initial evidence from one project.
Keywords
mental health, healing, empowerment, wellbeing, recovery
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.427
Citation
Renedo-Illarregi, E., Alexiou, K., and Zamenopoulos, T. (2022) Co-design as healing: A multi-level analysis based on a project with people facing mental health problems, in Lockton, D., Lenzi, S., Hekkert, P., Oak, A., Sádaba, J., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2022: Bilbao, 25 June - 3 July, Bilbao, Spain. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2022.427
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Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
Co-design as healing: A multi-level analysis based on a project with people facing mental health problems
The present paper explores the notion of co-design as healing by focusing on a project with participants facing mental health problems, who met once a week, guided by open design processes. Reflecting on semi-structured interview data, as well as relevant literature from different disciplines, the paper offers a conceptual framing of how co-design can be considered as a healing practice, at a systems, social and individual level. At a systems level, co-design allows working with complexity, and approaching mental health problems holistically. At a social level, co-design empowers collectives to negotiate what realities to change and how. At an individual level, co-design affects people’s wellbeing, by enhancing their sense of agency and connection, stimulating thinking and essentially providing a grounding embodied experience. The paper offers a lens through which to reflect and expand on what we do as designers, and supports the notion of co-design as healing with initial evidence from one project.