Everyone has the capacity to make an active meaningful contribution to society. Co-Design is an approach that enables a wide range of people to have a creative contribution in the formulation and solution of a problem. Going beyond mere consultation, co-design builds and deepens an equal collaboration between citizens affected by or attempting to resolve a particular challenge. Citizens here inclu
de designers, policy makers, residents, customers, academics, children, engineers and amongst many other possible contributors. Harnessing the knowledge, experience and creative potential of all these participants results in relevant, innovative, practical solutions that could never come from one single stakeholder, including professional innovators. We achieve this collaboration by firstly giving a voice to the citizens involved, developing processes that help them to articulate their vision and ideas in a form that is natural to them, not necessarily the way designers would articulate ideas. We then go on to help citizens to respond to these ideas creatively and flexibly to develop new solutions that are distinctive while addressing the range of agendas and concerns of those involved. This is not about design by committee, or an average solution but rather challenging all citizens to examine and reassess their assumptions and perspectives. This willingness to rethink what the problem really is forms a critical element for participation in co-design and enables new common perspectives and so solutions to emerge that rather than being compromised are strong and new. With KLEPOL Solutions we are exploring the possibilities and opportunities to get the citizens and stakeholders involved. Also we are looking at the truth and myths, methods and practical issues of co-design.
