Make the most of your time and theirs
What stage of the project are you in?
Research, Ideation, Concepting, Prototyping? Depending on where you are in the project should dictate your desired goals of the co-design and it’s important that whatever your goal is that it’s communicated to your participants. Conducting a workshop during the research phase may enlighten you to some facts that were omitted in an initial brief. It’s greatly beneficial that folks from a variety of departments are included for a wider perspective.
When it comes to co-designing during the ideation/concepting phase expectations need to be set for the participants. How is their participation going to impact the end result? You don’t want stakeholders leaving the co-design session frustrated believing that their time was wasted generating ideas that will never be used.
Prep Prep Prep
How you prep beforehand will dictate the success of your co-design before you even step into the room. Start with an outline for a script of instructions and outline step by step how you’d like them to proceed. Once you have the steps of the co-design laid out test it with a small group of people that aren’t involved in the project.
I suggest that you use people that are outside of the creative field for these tests. In hindsight of my own experience with co-design, those in the creative fields are far more confident creating and sharing their ideas. It will require more effort and guidance for those who are not.
Setting up for Success
The materials you bring can dictate your results in a number of ways. Colored pencils, markers, and paints will yield the most free-form results but generally demand more time. (Testing this will help you determine how much time is required). Utilizing magazines and stickers can be helpful to maximize your time with the participants but be wary. Those involved in the sessions might just design around what they can find. You can help to avoid this by being particular with what you bring and to keep similar visuals organized. Rather than bringing a stack of magazines cut out the pages and organize them thematically for easy access.
I’ve once seen a design studio use Lego bricks while co-designing with the public to visualize how they would like to develop their town. An easily handled medium such as Legos removes the barrier of creating, leaving more time for imaging how public space can be better served.
Who’s in the room?
Any co-design session will vary by attendees and some groups or individuals will be more engaged than others. Depending on the size of the group there should be two of your team members at a table. Ideally, one team member takes the lead and facilitates the tasks and discussion. The other should support with timekeeping and even jump into the co-design themselves to help if appropriate to help spark creative ideas.
Co-designs can require a lot of effort to find an open availability, especially for higher-ups. It’s important that you stick to the time frame that you initially set. Otherwise, your participants will be thinking about the unanswered emails sitting in their inboxes.