21/03/2026
What is co‑design?
Co‑design means **designing things *with* people, not *for* them
It’s a way of working where the people who are most affected by a problem:
- Help **define the problem**
- Help **come up with ideas**
- Help **make decisions**
- Help **test and improve** solutions
It’s not just asking for feedback at the end. It’s **working together from the start to the finish**.
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# # # Key ideas in co‑design
Co‑design usually includes these important ideas:
1. **Lived experience at the centre**
People who live with an issue every day (for example, people with disability, families, carers) are treated as **experts** in their own lives.
2. **Sharing power**
People with lived experience don’t just “advise” – they **share decision‑making power**. They help choose priorities and shape what actually happens.
3. **Respect, safety and inclusion**
Co‑design aims to make everyone feel **safe, respected and heard**.
This means thinking about emotional safety, cultural safety and how people are treated in the room or online.
4. **Accessibility and fairness**
- Meetings and materials are accessible (Easy Read, interpreters, accessible venues, online options, support people, etc.).
- People’s time and knowledge are **valued and, where possible, paid**.
5. **Being open and honest**
Everyone is clear about:
- What decisions can be changed
- What the limits are (money, time, laws)
- How people’s ideas will be used
People can see **what changed** because of their input.
6. **Learning and improving**
Co‑design is about **trying, learning and improving**, not getting it “perfect” the first time.
The group keeps asking: *What worked? What didn’t? What should we change next time?*
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# # # What co‑design is *not*
Some things are often called “co‑design” but are not:
- Sending out a survey after all the big decisions are already made
- Holding one “consultation” meeting and then following the same old plan
- Asking for people’s stories, then not showing how they were used
- Adding one person with lived experience to a committee, but not giving them real influence
If people’s voices can be easily ignored, **that is not co‑design**.
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# # # Why co‑design matters
# # # # 1. Better solutions
People with lived experience understand:
- What the real problems are
- What actually gets in the way
- What would make life easier in practice
When they help design policies, services and research, the results are:
- More useful
- More realistic
- More likely to work in everyday life
This is especially important in **disability services and research**, where systems often miss what people really need.
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# # # # 2. Fairness and human rights
For a long time, decisions about marginalised groups were made **without** them. Co‑design changes this.
It supports:
- The right to have a say in what affects your life
- The idea of “**nothing about us without us**”
- Self‑determination – people having control and choice in their own lives
This fits with human rights and the **social model of disability**, which focuses on removing barriers, not “fixing” people.
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# # # # 3. Trust and confidence
When people see that:
- Their input is taken seriously
- They are kept informed
- Real changes are made based on what they say
then **trust grows**.
Services, programs and research created through co‑design feel more:
- Legitimate
- Respectful
- Worth engaging with
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# # # # 4. More creativity and new ideas
Co‑design brings together:
- Professional or technical knowledge
- Lived experience knowledge
This mix often leads to **new and better ideas** that no group would think of alone.
It challenges old assumptions and opens up **more creative solutions**.
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# # # # 5. Stronger skills and relationships
Co‑design doesn’t just create better services; it builds:
- **Skills** for people with lived experience (leadership, advocacy, research)
- **Skills** for organisations (listening, sharing power, being inclusive)
- **Relationships** between communities, researchers, services and governments
Over time, this helps create systems that are **more responsive and inclusive**.
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# # # Where is co‑design used?
You’ll see co‑design more and more in:
- **Disability research and policy** – choosing research topics and making sense of the results together with people with disability
- **Health and mental health services** – redesigning how care is delivered
- **Government and social services** – shaping programs and supports
- **Community and education projects** – making sure they reflect local needs and cultures
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# # # What good co‑design looks like
Strong co‑design usually includes:
- **Involving people early** – before decisions are locked in
- **Planning together** – setting goals, roles and decision‑making rules as a group
- **Paying and supporting people** – recognising that lived experience is expert knowledge
- **Multiple ways to join in** – online, in person, one‑to‑one, small groups, Easy Read, interpreters
- **Clear influence** – you can see how people’s ideas shaped the outcome
- **Regular updates and feedback** – people aren’t left in the dark
- **Reflection at the end** – what worked, what didn’t, and what to change next time
# # # Challenges (and how to handle them)
Co‑design can be challenging:
- It can take **more time and money** than traditional consultation
- Power can still sit mostly with organisations
- There is a risk of **tokenism** (co‑design in name only)
- Accessibility needs can be complex
Good co‑design deals with this by:
- Being realistic about time, budget and limits
- Being honest about what can and can’t change
- Investing in accessibility and support
- Committing to keep **learning and improving**, not pretending to be perfect
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# # # Why co‑design matters now
Expectations are changing. People want:
- More transparency
- More respect
- More involvement in decisions that shape their lives
In disability research and policy especially, co‑design:
- Puts “nothing about us without us” into action
- Helps make sure change actually improves people’s lives
- Builds systems that are fairer, smarter and more humane
**In simple terms: co‑design is about sharing power, listening deeply, and building solutions together.**
What is co-design, and why is it important for disability research? Co-design is a way of working together to create something new. The ‘co’ means collaboration; the ‘design’ means making. In research, co-design involves people with lived experience working alongside researchers to shape res...
