Six elements of effective co-design

By Will Allen. Originally published on the Integration and Implementation Insights blog.

What does co-design for tackling complex challenges look like in practice?

Co-design is a collective way of navigating complexity, taking different forms depending on context. The following six elements are a reflection on patterns I’ve seen emerge through practice, especially in settings where multiple perspectives matter.

1. Starting with shared grounding: Creating early alignment through shared values, context, and purpose

In many collaborative projects, there’s a tendency to begin by defining tasks – what needs doing, by whom, and when. But in complex settings, where multiple perspectives and values come into play, it’s often more important to begin with relationships. It helps to understand where people are coming from, what matters to them, and how they see the purpose. Co-design, in these contexts, depends on a shared orientation before it can support meaningful action.

This grounding isn’t about gaining full agreement but about creating enough shared direction to move forward.

In practice, it might look like a series of small conversations rather than a single kick-off workshop. Small groups might share personal or organisational histories, or map what success could look like. It’s about creating space for people to show up as themselves – not just as institutional representatives.

2. Framing the issue together: Letting the challenge emerge through shared understanding

With a shared grounding established, the next step is to frame the issue, allowing diverse perspectives to reshape the problem space. Rather than starting with a predefined issue and working towards a solution, co-design allows the problem itself to be reshaped as different perspectives come into play.

This doesn’t mean beginning with a blank slate. Most co-design processes still have parameters – a general focus, some constraints, and a sense of urgency. But they treat the problem space as something to explore, not simply solve. The goal is to understand not just what the issue is, but why it matters, who it affects, and how it is experienced across contexts.

Shaping the problem together can feel uncertain, but it creates a grounded and inclusive starting point, one that reflects lived experience and opens a wider range of responses. This kind of framing work relies on thoughtful facilitation. It’s not just about keeping the process moving – it’s about helping participants reflect together, question assumptions, and navigate complexity with care.

3. Creating space for contribution: Designing for participation that is inclusive, thoughtful, and power-aware

Co-design is often described as participatory, but participation alone doesn’t ensure meaningful contribution. It requires careful attention as to how people are invited in, how input is valued, and how decisions are shaped.

It’s not just about getting the “right mix” of stakeholders in the room. It’s about group dynamics – who speaks first, whose perspectives carry weight, and whether people feel safe to raise disagreement or uncertainty. Facilitation plays a crucial role – not just in guiding process, but in noticing who’s participating, how, and who may need support. What matters is whether people feel their contributions are meaningful, respected, and able to shape outcomes.

4. Using tools to support shared inquiry: Employing tools that help people explore, reflect, and co-create meaning

Tools can help participants explore issues and reflect together. They’re often the most visible part of a design process, such as sticky notes, diagrams, whiteboards, or canvases. But in co-design, they’re not just for collecting input. At their best, tools act as boundary objects that help people see systems differently, make thinking visible, and build shared understanding.

Systems thinking tools (like mapping, feedback diagrams, or stakeholder analysis), facilitation strategies, and co-design approaches like Theory of Change or scenario planning all help teams make complexity visible, include diverse voices, and develop solutions that remain responsive over time.

5. Navigating difference: Holding space for multiple perspectives, knowledge systems, and priorities

Complex projects often bring together people with different starting points – worldviews, roles, accountabilities, and measures of success. Co-design doesn’t try to smooth out these differences or merge them into a single voice. Instead, it keeps them visible and works across them with care.

This is also where co-design can be most challenging. Tensions can emerge, and processes may slow down, yet it’s often where the greatest value lies. When people stay in dialogue across their differences – whether cultural, technical, institutional, or experiential – new insights can emerge.

Working with difference requires deliberate process design. That might mean:

• Creating space for different forms of evidence and expression – numbers, stories, images, scenarios.
• Avoiding premature convergence – letting multiple interpretations sit side by side for a while.
• Encouraging people to listen not just for agreement, but for understanding.

Navigating difference doesn’t mean forcing consensus. It’s about making better decisions amid complexity, whether that involves resolution or continued dialogue. It calls for patience, humility, and willingness to sit with discomfort.

6. Designing with the future in mind: Embedding adaptability, learning, and influence from the outset

While many initiatives focus on near-term goals – a framework to develop, a tool to test, a policy to inform – their deeper value often lies in what continues beyond formal outputs: relationships, shared capabilities, and ways of working that persist and grow.

This orientation also invites more openness about what success looks like. In complex settings, impacts often unfold gradually, indirectly, and through relationships. Measuring outcomes solely in terms of uptake or delivery can obscure what matters most: whether people are more able to collaborate, reflect, and respond to change in ways that respect people, place, and planet.

Conclusion

Co-design isn’t just about outcomes – it’s about creating the conditions for people to learn, collaborate, and adapt together. As a transformative process, it reshapes the questions we ask, the relationships we form, and the kinds of change that become possible. At its best, co-design invites us to reimagine not only systems and outcomes, but also ourselves. It reminds us that in complex settings, we move forward in steps – through reflection, adaptive management, and shared intent.

What has your experience been of co-design? Do these reflections resonate with you? Are there other reflections that you would add?

To find out more:

Allen, W. (2025). Designing together: Reflections on co-design in complex settings. Learning for Sustainability (LfS) website. (Online): https://learningforsustainability.net/post/co-design-in-complex-settings/
Much of this i2Insights contribution is taken verbatim from this longer and more detailed blog post.

Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Statement: In developing the Learning for Sustainability blog post that this contribution draws on, generative AI was used to test wording and structure while full responsibility for the content, framing, and voice remained with the author. No generative AI was used in preparing this i2Insights version. (For i2Insights policy on generative artificial intelligence please see https://i2insights.org/contributing-to-i2insights/guidelines-for-authors/#artificial-intelligence.)

Biography:

Will Allen PhD is an independent systems scientist and action research practitioner based in Ōtautahi Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand. With 30 years of experience in sustainable development and natural resource management, his work centres on collaboration, social learning, and adaptive management in complex, multi-actor settings. He also curates the Learning for Sustainability (LfS) website, an international clearinghouse pointing to on-line resources in these areas.

Article source: Six elements of effective co-design. Republished by permission.

Header image source: Frans van Heerden on Pexels.