Co-Design vs Faux-Design: Navigating the Complexities of Sharing Power in Co-Design

Key Insights

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  Co-design is an approach that builds with, not for, communities by sharing power across the entire engagement.

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  Authentic lived experience must be directly relevant; proxies or near experiences risk diluting design intention.

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  Healing and trust-building are foundational to effective co-design, particularly given historical traumas in marginalized communities.

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  Power sharing requires explicit acknowledgment of power imbalances and establishing structures that allow community decision-making authority.

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  Participatory engagement should accommodate diverse communication and participation styles, including art, conversation, and digital formats.

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  Surveys tend to be less effective for trust-building and deep engagement compared to qualitative, relational methods like focus groups and one-on-ones.

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  Compensation for lived experts must be meaningful and equitable, recognizing their expertise as equally valuable as academic or professional input.

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  Removing participation barriers (e.g., childcare, internet access, food insecurity) is essential to equitable co-design processes.

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  A continuum of engagement—from ignoring to co-creating—helps organizations assess and evolve their community involvement strategies.

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  Innovations from lived experts are often practical and empathetic to systemic constraints, debunking myths about unrealistic demands.

Notable Quotes