Securing the value of Co-design for Community-based Organisations

协同设计（定义为设计师和未受过设计培训的人在整个设计过程中的集体创造力）广泛应用于商业领域，以加速用户接受并减少产品失败。协同设计在公共部门，特别是城市设计中已经变得越来越普遍，因为它比传统的公共咨询实践更有效地吸引公民。目前，我们认为社区组织（cbo）并未广泛采用协同设计。这可能是因为cbo的价值和实用性尚不清楚。最近的一项研究表明，包括cbo在内的小型非营利组织（NPOs）需要很好地利用合作，因为它们依赖于少数忠诚的员工和/或志愿者，因此如果他们离开，就会很脆弱。该研究还报告称，大多数非营利组织都对创意/信息共享的合作感兴趣，这与协同设计相吻合。虽然基层组织的领导和成员认识到穷人/弱势群体的问题和需求，但他们不一定有第一手的经验。因此，良好地利用社区组织及其受益人之间的共同设计可以带来更好的服务和更有效的交付手段-减少不必要的成本和最大化价值，这在公共预算有限的地方至关重要。成功的社区协同设计项目不仅释放了社区的创造潜力，而且还帮助他们变得更加自力更生和有弹性。然而，协同设计实践在cbo中的程度是未知的。此外，并非所有首席执行官的协同设计经验都是成功的。首席执行官需要了解协同设计方法的成本、风险、收益和实用性。这些将具体到他们的背景和任务。为加强社区组织主导的社区协同设计，我们需要评估社区组织目前的经验，并传播适合其规模和使命的良好做法。因此，本研究项目的目的是“了解cbo对协同设计的认识状况，并制定指导方针，帮助cbo有效地与受益人进行协同设计，以更低的成本提供更好的服务。”我们将通过以下方式实现这一目标：1)回顾cbo中协同设计的现有理解和经验；2)考察协同设计在cbo中的成本、风险和收益；3)确定第三部门内部和其他部门可应用于cbo的良好做法；4)整理经验教训，为cbo制定良好的实践指南；5)向cbo的主要利益相关者、政策制定者和更广泛的设计研究界传播研究结果和指导。我们将在整个项目中与全国志愿组织理事会（NCVO）和其他中小型非营利组织合作，确保与志愿组织的适当接触和成果的实用性。

Co-design (which is defined as collective creativity of designers and people who are not trained in design through the whole design process) is widely used in the commercial sector to accelerate user acceptance and reduce product failure. Co-design has become more widespread in the public sector, especially in urban design, since it is more effective at engaging citizens than conventional public consulting practices. At present, we believe that co-design is not widely used by community-based organisations (CBOs). This might be because the value and practicalities for CBOs are not clear. A recent study suggests that small not-for-profit organisations (NPOs) including CBOs need to make a good use of collaborations, since they rely on small numbers of committed staff and/or volunteers and so are vulnerable if they leave. The study also reports that most NPOs are interested in collaboration for idea/information sharing, which fits with co-design. Although leaders and members of CBOs recognise problems and needs of the poor/disadvantaged, they do not necessarily have first-hand experience. Thus, good use of co-design between CBOs and their beneficiaries could lead to better services and more effective means of delivery - reducing unnecessary costs and maximising value which is crucial where public budgets are limited. Successful community co-design projects not only unlock the creative potential of communities, but also help them become more self-reliant and resilient. However, the extent of co-design practice in CBOs is unknown. Moreover, not all CBOs' experience of co-design are successful. CBOs need to understand the costs, risks, benefits, and practicalities of co-design approaches. These will be specific to their context and their mission. To enhance community co-design led by CBOs, we need to evaluate CBOs' current experience and disseminate good practice that is appropriate to their scale and their missions. As a result, the aim of this research project is to "understand CBOs' state of knowledge of co-design and develop guidance to help CBOs effectively co-design with their beneficiaries to deliver better services at lower cost." We will achieve this aim by 1) reviewing existing understanding and experience of co-design in CBOs; 2) examining costs, risks and benefits of co-design in CBOs; 3) identifying good practices within the third sector and from other sectors, that can be applied to CBOs; 4) collating lessons learned and develop good practice guidance for CBOs; and 5) disseminating the findings and the guidance to CBOs' key stakeholders, policy makers and the wider design research community. We will work with the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and other small-and-medium-sized NPOs throughout the project to ensure proper engagement with CBOs and the practicality of the outcomes.