Co-design for change: Propositions and dilemmas

Authors

Geertje Slingerland, Department of Urbanism, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The NetherlandsFollow
Gubing Wang, Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands; Department of Build Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The NetherlandsFollow

Abstract

Co-design has been widely applied to develop interventions supporting behavior change. While numerous co-design propositions have been developed, applying these in practice often leads to difficulties and tensions. This study aims to review the co-design propositions and understand the dilemmas when applying them. A literature review was conducted, and twelve co-design propositions were identified after qualitative analysis. The study found that some co-design propositions conflict because they align with an idealistic versus a realistic perspective. By studying these conflicts in-depth, seven dilemmas were identified at the intersection of realist and idealist propositions. Implications of the findings on design for behavior change were discussed, and this paper serves as a starting point to help researchers and practitioners identify, articulate, and navigate these dilemmas to achieve successful co-design outcomes.

Keywords

participatory design; co-design; guidelines; dilemmas

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.527

Citation

Slingerland, G., and Wang, G. (2024) Co-design for change: Propositions and dilemmas, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.527

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Conference Track

Research Paper