Conference Agenda

Co-design has been widely applied to develop interventions supporting behavior change. While numerous co-design propositions have been developed, applying these in practice often leads to difficulties and tensions. This study aims to review the co-design propositions and understand the dilemmas when applying them. A literature review was conducted, and twelve co-design propositions were identified after qualitative analysis. The study found that some co-design propositions conflict because they align with an idealistic versus a realistic perspective. By studying these conflicts in-depth, seven dilemmas were identified at the intersection of realist and idealist propositions. Implications of the findings on design for behavior change were discussed, and this paper serves as a starting point to help researchers and practitioners identify, articulate, and navigate these dilemmas to achieve successful co-design outcomes.

Healthcare systems are complex social systems wherein improvements related to staff practice and behavior can be difficult to implement. Knowledge and practice can be uneven between various specializations, hierarchical imbalances limit the degree of agency of different professionals, and evidence-based guidelines may be interpreted or implemented according to context-specific factors. When changes are imposed from a top-down perspective, invaluable insight and know-how from frontline staff are usually left out, making it further difficult (if not altogether impractical) to implement interventions. The current paper presents a case study focused on improving urinary tract infection diagnosis and treatment, in the emergency department of a hospital within the National Health Service of England. The empirical research addresses identified gaps in the literature by proposing an original framework for healthcare staff practice and behavior change that integrates participatory design and behavior change methods.

Designers are increasingly collaborating with various stakeholders to address complex societal challenges. These challenges often require a codesign approach, where differ-ent actors with diverse perspectives and experiences unite to explore innovative ave-nues for change. Such collaboration requires empathy between the actors to under-stand each other’s perspective better in their interactions. This paper aims to assist so-cial designers in orchestrating such empathic codesign processes by introducing an Em-pathic Journey framework. This conceptual and practical framework is based on em-pathic design theory and three design cases which used Virtual Reality for perspective exchange between actors. The framework addresses the importance of integrating an emotional spark through immersion and the necessity of embedding immersive experi-ences in a larger journey.

Participatory design is a quintessential representation of human-centeredness. The recent climate crisis and threats to survival have pushed designers to consider the well-being of non-human entities. Many designers have already attempted to incorporate non-human entities (including animals, forests, and rivers) into the design process. They have strived to refine and readjust design thinking and practice within the participatory design framework. However, most practices resemble the 'pseudo-participation' of human subjective imagination. This study raises ethical and ontological epistemological issues based on Latour's profound philosophical insights. Specifically, in the case of non-human entities participating in our future becoming, how will the role of design and designers change? This study re-explores the relationship between human and non-human entities in participatory design through cases to expand the boundaries of participatory design and make the design process more inclusive.

Opening Ceremonies of mega-events captivate a global audience and have the potential of nurturing a sense of community belonging among the population of the host country. From the visual identity to the stage design and its live media broadcast, such ceremonies unite different design practices. The underlying design processes usually depart from a top-down perspective, often prompted by specific social and political realities. As a result, inhabitants may experience a diminished sense of belonging. Participatory approaches are able to challenge oppressive power relations, and are increasingly deployed in mainstream media, yet the scale and complexity of the design of opening ceremonies demand a thorough understanding. Through a narrative analysis of the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics, and through interviews and co-creation sessions with 18 Chinese inhabitants that recalled their experience watching this event, we were able to extract a number of design dimensions to open up the opening ceremony.