The difference between co-design and participatory design

Are you truly co-designing with users as equals or just patting yourself on the back for getting ‘user feedback’?

Although co-design and participatory design are often used interchangeably, they are two different approaches to designing products and services. A recent paper on Co-production with Autistic adults(3) communicates the differences using a tiered diagram to indicate the levels in which participants are involved.

The stages of co-design

Figure 1, adapted version of the tiered diagram, shows the different approaches to participant input; with ‘consultation’ involving the least amount of participation, and ‘co-production’ involving the most. In ascending order the tiers are:

• Consultation participants are informally asked for their opinions, perspectives, ideas and concerns.
• Involvement provides more opportunity for input into decision-making, but not agenda setting.
• Participation allows for more input at the design stages, including defining the agenda or the design activities.
• Co-production, participants are treated as equals and have an equal say in deciding the project goals and outcomes.

Why is the differentiation between…