PG #71: Design changes the designer

My year has been characterised by two projects. Both involved co-design within two vastly different, but equally complex contexts: mental health and education. They left me more enamoured than ever with this approach to design, but more importantly, they asked me to look at my world through a different lens.

Co-design has a few closely connected themes:

• Facilitators need to understand and acknowledge the power differentials that exist within groups, in order to better facilitate collaboration.
• Creating and maintaining an inclusive environment is crucial.
• Every participant must feel valued and be able to participate in a meaningful way.
• The safety and care of all participants throughout the co-design process is absolutely paramount.

Exploring these themes has made me a different designer and it’s not a stretch to say the impact on me has been profound. They will continue to influence and characterise my approach to my work into 2021 and beyond.

I believe that co-design, if understood and implemented correctly, can impact organisations in the same way they’ve impacted me personally.

– Ernez Dhondy & the PG Team

Read the rest of issue #69 here