Securing the value of Co-design for Community-based Organisations

Co-design (which is defined as collective creativity of designers and people who are not trained in design through the whole design process) is widely used in the commercial sector to accelerate user acceptance and reduce product failure. Co-design has become more widespread in the public sector, especially in urban design, since it is more effective at engaging citizens than conventional public consulting practices.

At present, we believe that co-design is not widely used by community-based organisations (CBOs). This might be because the value and practicalities for CBOs are not clear. A recent study suggests that small not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) including CBOs need to make a good use of collaborations, since they rely on small numbers of committed staff and/or volunteers and so are vulnerable if they leave. The study also reports that most NPOs are interested in collaboration for idea/information sharing, which fits with co-design.

Although leaders and members of CBOs recognise problems and needs of the poor/disadvantaged, they do not necessarily have first-hand experience. Thus, good use of co-design between CBOs and their beneficiaries could lead to better services and more effective means of delivery - reducing unnecessary costs and maximising value which is crucial where public budgets are limited. Successful community co-design projects not only unlock the creative potential of communities, but also help them become more self-reliant and resilient. However, the extent of co-design practice in CBOs is unknown. Moreover, not all CBOs' experience of co-design are successful. CBOs need to understand the costs, risks, benefits, and practicalities of co-design approaches. These will be specific to their context and their mission.

To enhance community co-design led by CBOs, we need to evaluate CBOs' current experience and disseminate good practice that is appropriate to their scale and their missions. As a result, the aim of this research project is to "understand CBOs' state of knowledge of co-design and develop guidance to help CBOs effectively co-design with their beneficiaries to deliver better services at lower cost." We will achieve this aim by 1) reviewing existing understanding and experience of co-design in CBOs; 2) examining costs, risks and benefits of co-design in CBOs; 3) identifying good practices within the third sector and from other sectors, that can be applied to CBOs; 4) collating lessons learned and develop good practice guidance for CBOs; and 5) disseminating the findings and the guidance to CBOs' key stakeholders, policy makers and the wider design research community. We will work with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and other small-and-medium-sized NPOs throughout the project to ensure proper engagement with CBOs and the practicality of the outcomes.

The impacts of our project can be broadly described as follows:

1. Enhancing the economic competitiveness of the United Kingdom by helping communities become more self-reliant and resilient through the effective use of community co-design

2. Increasing the effectiveness of public policy by providing insight into the current use of community co-design led by community-based organisations (CBOs)

3. Enhancing the quality of life of individuals/communities supported by CBOs by improving CBOs' co-design practices so that they could deliver better services at lower cost

3. Improving creative outputs at the community level - by promoting community co-design in the CBO sector and encouraging knowledge-sharing regarding community co-design

Our primary direct beneficiaries are leaders and staff of CBOs. We choose CBOs as direct beneficiaries because they are effective at reaching and supporting the poor and/or disadvantaged, and committed to bottom-up developments, which fit the community co-design principles. Our project will help CBOs understand the potential value, costs, risks, benefits, and practicalities of co-design approaches so that they can make informed decisions on when and how to use community co-design. By identifying best community co-design practices in the CBO and related sectors, we will develop and disseminate the community co-design guidance for CBOs based on the lessons learned.

We identify several groups of indirect beneficiaries.

Firstly, beneficiaries and members of CBOs may benefit from improved co-design practices and improved services. Effective use of community co-design could help CBOs better understand their beneficiaries and help communities become more self-reliant and resilient, as they can identify and solve problems themselves.

Secondly, creative disciplines and co-design practitioners may benefit from an improved understanding amongst CBO clients, and the guidance reporting what works and what does not work in CBOs and similar not-for-profit organisations, e.g. small charities.

In addition, our project enables policy makers and donor organisations to assess if co-design approaches are appropriate in particular situations more effectively. By auditing the current community co-design knowledge and practices, suitable governmental interventions at local, regional and national levels can be planned more effectively.