What is Codesign? — codesign (2023)

the globe Education Technology Market(edtech) is growing, but educators often struggle to identify which products will help them accelerate their efforts to meet learning goals - they don't know which products to use to overcome existing barriers to student success. There's often ambiguity about the researchThis drives the development of edtech solutions, making it difficult to determine what will benefit students.

This requires using a collaborative “codesign” approach to ensure edtech innovators develop products and programs that meet the needs of educators and students. This could mean, for example, developing relevant tools that maximize student productivity and teacher effectiveness at a time when there are greater opportunities to rethink learning and teaching both inside and outside of the physical classroom.

Codesign is a process in which different stakeholders come together to find a solution to a common problem through research.

not the caseLeanlab training, Codesign typically brings schools, edtech companies, and researchers together to create better solutions informed by direct feedback from schools. In this way, the people who will use the solution will be involved in its design and development.

During the design process, stakeholders leverage the core principles of codesign—voting equity, shared values, and a commitment to improvement—to better understand the student and teacher experience. Let's take a closer look at them.

The basic principles of code design

Due to the participatory nature of codesign - "design with stakeholders, not for them" - it is important to understand the following principles as they tie the whole process together.

Ensure power sharing and inclusion

When there is a power imbalance between the critical stakeholders involved in the co-design process, those with more power are likely to have more influence on decisions.

However, co-design is about sharing power and ensuring that everyone's ideas and perspectives are considered throughout the process, from research and conception to design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Simply put, codesign is inclusive and cannot exist without power sharing.

prioritize relationships

The concept of codesign is based on the idea of ​​co-creation, so relationships are essential. Co-designers need to build a meaningful relationship based on trust and respect if they want to share power and create an effective solution together.

Prioritizing relationships means those involved in the process can express themselves and contribute to the conversations that lead to better outcomes.

Focus on empowerment

Codesign defends the concept that everyone has something to teach and learn.

With a focus on empowerment, Codesign goes beyond the traditional approach to skill and capability building. Rather than having specific people coach others, everyone teaches and learns, which improves collaboration, improves power sharing, and fosters better relationships between stakeholders.

How do I recognize code design?

Key principles can help you create sound processes, but how do you know if you're really co-designing?

Consider it. Two edtech companies want to develop a digital reading tool for high school students. Company A creates the tool and asks schools to test it to see if it works for them. When the company asked teachers and students for feedback, it found that its tool wasn't as useful for high school students as they had hoped.

On the other hand, prior to developing the tool, Company B is collaborating with educators and students at a school that wants to use technology to support lessons conducted by teachers.

Working in close partnership, Company B brings its professional Edtech experience to guide teachers and students in the design of the reading tool. During the process, faculty and students provide feedback based on their real-world experiences to help B Corp with things like research, prototyping, tool deployment, and evaluation. Everyone's voice is heard throughout the process.

Unlike Company A, Company B co-designed its tool to ensure its usefulness and usability in real-world contexts. The following scenarios indicate a co-design process:

• Both people with lived experience (teachers and students) and professionals (the edtech company) involved in the design process are equal collaborators (co-designers).

• There is a holistic construction of the skills of the co-designers. For example, Company B guides teachers and students through the design process, while teachers and students provide feedback that enables the company to create an effective tool.

• Proposed approaches are evaluated based on the value they bring to the people for whom they are intended. For example, the features included in the reading tool are chosen based on how well they meet the needs of high school students.

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• Where necessary, power is identified, challenged and negotiated. In the example, Company B, teachers and students have the same vote.

Best conditions for codesign

Once the necessary values ​​and litmus tests are in place, it's crucial to establish some foundations needed for the code design to work.

Appropriate Support and Sponsorship

The first condition is to have enough support. For example, after receiving feedback, there may be resistance from some stakeholders, especially if they find it unfavorable. Advocating a co-design process in such a situation requires support to ensure that everyone involved in the process understands the value of this approach.

In addition, codesign also requires sponsorship and financial support in areas such as:

• Moderation and convening of processes

• Pay people with lived experience (e.g. teachers) for their time and support

• Training for code designers

• Test prototypes and continuously iterate before implementation

• Communicate the process and its progress to stakeholders to create engagement

culture and climate

Codesign is a unique approach to solution design that not all work climates and cultures agree with. As such, co-designers need to build a specific supportive culture that prepares them for success.

Here are some of the necessary cultural conditions for codesign:

• Focus on collaboration, not control

• Facilitate learning and sharing of successes and failures

• Create environments where formal and informal leaders can do their jobs

• Assist in developing skills for code design

• Promote accountability of all parties involved in the process

Building the right culture is primarily the responsibility of everyone involved in a project using the codesign approach.

Obstacles to effective code design

While codesign streamlines the process of finding the right solutions to problems, it's not always easy to execute.

There are some common roadblocks that make good code design difficult, and if you don't plan for them, you risk falling short in your code design process. The good news is that there are some strategies you can use to overcome these barriers.

Obstacle 1: Stakeholders lack the tools or relationships to work together effectively.

For example, it can be difficult to involve non-technical stakeholders throughout the design and development process.

You can overcome this by:Develop process awareness early in the project so everyone knows where their contribution fits into the bigger picture. To develop process awareness effectively, you must first:

• build relationships

• Do some collective agenda setting

• Improve your organizational tools to collaborate with outsiders

Barrier 2: Stakeholders lack certain skills, but the initiative requires experience that is shared among all stakeholders.

For example, some stakeholders may not have the technical expertise needed for certain aspects of the co-design process.

You can overcome this by:Build knowledge through structured training or knowledge sharing between stakeholders.

Barrier 3: Decision-making power is concentrated in a group of stakeholders.

Power sharing is a core principle of code design, but it's not always easy to achieve. Sometimes certain stakeholders have more power (e.g. school leaders controlling the budget) and this can make it difficult for everyone to have an equal voice.

You can overcome this by:Recognize the role of everyone in building a useful product or service. For example, educators may report to school boards, but they have the experience required to help build an effective edtech tool. Therefore, their findings must be taken into account when making decisions.

Tips to keep in mind during the code design process

While there is no one-size-fits-all approach to code design, some general best practices will help ensure success throughout the process.

Listen to feedback and act on it

When multiple stakeholders come together, it can be easy to dismiss some comments. However, it is crucial to listen to all feedback and adjust your product or program accordingly. Ask questions that will help you discover what people really want and find ways to meet those needs.

Collect structured input

When you collect information in a structured way, it's easier to gather feedback and find a way forward.

Some methods you can use to collect data as part of your co-design process include:

• researches

• Event-Hosting

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• user test

• Conducting design workshops

• Collect expert feedback

Collect concrete feedback

If you're hosting events or conducting surveys, it's a good idea to: 1) try to connect your attendees with the personas you create, and 2) collect as actionable feedback as possible.

You need to make sure your audience matches your personas. If there are people who don't fit into your persona profiles, you may need to consider creating new ones.

At the end, you should try to get specific feedback and suggestions from your audience. For example, asking a person what they particularly like or dislike about a tool is more insightful than simply asking whether they like the tool or not. Being specific puts you in a better position to take action and make improvements.

Codesign: Gives you the power to develop the right solutions

When it comes to education, it's crucial to involve the right people in the design process to create solutions that benefit students.

That is the goal of codesign. It is more than a consultation process. Everyone is treated as an equal contributor to the design process, allowing for more informed decision making.

Rather than relying on external research, critical stakeholders collaborate, collaborate and share creative ideas throughout the design process, enabling the development of the right programs and products.