Danielle Marie Agnello is a Marie Curie doctoral fellow within the Health CASCADE project. Her research focuses on investigating methods for co-creation and how they impact the co-creation process. You can see more about her project here: https://healthcascade.eu/esr3/
When someone says they are co-creating, what do you think of? Do you envision vibrant brainstorming sessions, filled with colourful post-it notes, templates and lively discussions? This is what I picture when I think of co-creation. Sadly, the reality is very different from what we imagine.
The reality
In my research, I am finding that not only is there confusion around what co-creation is (see our JMIR publication here), but if we were to paint a picture of what co-creation looks like, instead of those fun and interactive sessions, it often ends up consisting of researchers talking to people and asking questions. They might do interviews, surveys, and focus group discussions, but it’s not as creative as we would hope, and it’s far from collaborative.
So how did this happen? Are researchers repackaging qualitative methods into something they are calling co-creation? I am starting to think that is the case. For instance, when I conducted an inventory of all the methods reported in 6,650 co-creation publications, the most used methods are interviews, surveys, and focus groups
Look to other sources
Interestingly, when I looked at how co-creation happens outside of published research, it was a whole different story. What I discovered was eye-opening. There are organizations and projects, such as Hyper Island, Seeds for Change, and Waag, that do inspiring things with co-creation. They use engaging activities like building with Legos (Lego Serious Play) or pretending to be different characters to come up with great ideas together (role-storming). These methods spark creativity and foster collaboration, creating the vibrant and colourful workshops we imagine when we think of co-creation.
Realizing the stark contrast between academic and non-academic sectors in terms of co-creation methods was a significant revelation for me. It led me to question why this inconsistency exists and ignited a call to action. For instance, perhaps academics are indeed using more creative methods, but they are not reporting them in their publications, leading to a lack of awareness about how they are co-creating. Additionally, as a systems thinker, I understand that there may be valid reasons for leaning on less collaborative qualitative methods, but I urge researchers to be brave and venture into lesser-known, yet highly effective co-creation methods that can significantly improve their co-creation process.
It’s time for a change! We need to make co-creation more exciting and engaging, and still get things done in the best way possible. Imagine a magical blend of creativity and solid research that takes co-creation to a whole new level. That’s what I am striving for with my research, and it’s what we are working to achieve in Health CASCADE.
Some Supportive Resources
To help anyone in their journey towards more innovative and creative co-creation processes, I’ve put together an inventory of 765 different methods. These methods come from both academic and non-academic sources. You can check out the open-access Co-Creation Methods Inventory here: 10.5281/zenodo.8014373.
Stay tuned! I’m writing academic publications about these methods, to further characterize them and help people better understand how methods affect the co-creation process. Also, if you’re interested in co-creation but find the list of methods overwhelming, don’t worry! I’m creating an open-access online tool called the Co-Creation Methods Selector. It will help you select the best method for your co-creation project. If you want to be part of the prototyping process, please apply to take part here (https://forms.gle/e4HkrGLy2kN6kAt46). We can explore this exciting world of co-creation together.
It’s time to walk the walk when it comes to co-creation, by embracing lesser-known co-creation methods and fostering an environment of creativity and collaboration that enables collective intelligence. Join us on this adventure, and let’s unlock the full potential of co-creation!
