DesignforNext
12thEADConference
SapienzaUniversityofRome
12-14April2017
Design-ledApproachtoCo-productionof
ValuesforCollectiveDecision-Making.
SnehaRamana*,TaraFrencha,AngelaTullocha
a
InstituteofDesignInnovation,TheGlasgowSchoolofArt
*Correspondingauthore-mail:[email protected]
Abstract: Experience Labs are design-led spaces for co-creating preferable futures
bybringingacademic,businessandcivicstakeholderstoworktogetherwithcitizens
using a participatory design approach. Differing value systems of stakeholders,
however, can pose challenges when working collaboratively. Experience Labs
support exchange and co-production of values among diverse stakeholders by
making them articulate and visible through design, to resolve conflict and to
supportmeaningfuldecision-makingtowardsprogressingideaswhilstintegratinga
multiplicity of perspectives. In this paper, we discuss the creation of an ‘ethical
imaginationspace’toexplorepreferablefutureswithdiversestakeholders;thecore
valuesoftheExperienceLabswhichsupportthecreationofthisspace;andthekey
qualities that support the exchange and co-production of shared values to enable
collectivedecision-making.Weproposethatthe‘nextthinking’fordesigninvolves
consideration of the ways in which we engage with values in cross-sectoral
collaborationstoenablecollectivedecision-making.
Keywords: Values, decision-making, participatory design, collaboration,
ethicalimagination
1.Introduction
ExperienceLabsaredesign-ledspacesforco-creatingpreferablefuturesbybringingacademic,
businessandcivicstakeholderstoworktogetherwithcitizensusingaparticipatorydesign(PD)
approach.AcentralaimofExperienceLabsistosupportandmoveparticipants’thinkingbeyond
consideringarangeofpossiblefuturesfromanoptionalmindset,towardsan‘ethicalimagination’
forthecreationofpreferablefuturesbasedonthevaluesofindividualandcollectivewellbeing,
whichenhancequalityoflife(McAra-McWilliam,nodate).Inthehealthandsocialcarecontext,the
needforinnovationinthewaythatcareisdeliveredandreceivedisaresponsetothegrowing
challengesfacingthehealthcareservice(ScottishGovernment,2011).Usingdesigninnovation
methods,ExperienceLabscollaboratewithkeystakeholderswithinthehealthandcarecontextin
Scotlandtotacklethesechallenges.Collaborationbetweendiversestakeholdersandactive
engagementfromcitizensiscrucialfortransformativeinnovations(Goddard,2009).Thechallenge
forPDhereistoorganisealternativesettingsforinnovationthataremoredemocraticallyoriented
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SNEHARAMAN,TARAFRENCH,ANGELATULLOCH
thantraditionalsettingsthatfocusonexpertviews,andmovefromatechnocraticviewofinnovation
towardsanemphasisonsocio-culturaldimensionsofinnovation(Björgvinsson,Ehn,andHillgren,
2010).Thiscanposeachallengewhenworkingwithacademic,businessandcivicstakeholderswith
differingvalues.
Theroleofvalueswithindesigndecision-makingremainsalargelyunexploredarea(Colesand
Norman,2005,citedinTrimingham,2008).Existingliteraturedistinguishesvaluesfromother
decision-makinginfluences,namelyknowledgeandskills,arguingthatdecision-makingreliesona
combinationofallthree(Trimingham,2008);andhighlightstheneedtoengagewithvaluesmore
explicitlytouseitasanorganisingprincipleinPD(Iversen,HalskovandLeong,2012).Traditionallya
numberoffunctionalandtechnicaldecision-makingtools(Darses,2002)alongwithskillsacquired
throughdeeplearningandpractice,i.e.,‘designerly’waysofknowing,thinkingandacting(Cross,
2001)supporttheshapingofdesignargumentsandguidethedecision-makingprocess.InPD,the
involvementofdiversestakeholderscreatesissuesofgaininginformedconsensusandsettling
possibledisputes,reinforcingthecomplexityindecision-making(Darses,2002;LeonandToniolo,
2015).Misalignedorconflictingvaluesofdiversestakeholderscreatechallengesinestablishinggoals,
especiallyintheearlystagesofthedesignprocess.PDisaboutnegotiatingvaluesrealisedthrough
participation(Iversenetal.,2012).SimilartoScandinavianapproaches(Gregory,2013),Experience
Labsrecogniseconflictandcontradictionsarisingfrommultipleviewsasaresourcefordesignrather
thanaconstraint.ExperienceLabsattempttocreateasafeandempatheticspaceforexchange,
negotiationandco-productionofsharedvaluesamongdiversestakeholders,tofindresolutionand
supportmeaningfuldecision-making.Thishelpstoprogressideaswhilstexploringarangeofoptions
andintegratingamultiplicityofperspectives.Inthispaper,wediscussthecreationofan‘ethical
imaginationspace’toexplorepreferablefutureswithdiversestakeholders;thecorevaluesofthe
Labswhichsupportthecreationofthisspace;andthewaysinwhichwesupporttheexchangeand
co-productionofsharedvaluestoenablecollectivedecision-making.Weproposethat‘nextthinking’
fordesigninvolvesconsiderationofthewaysinwhichweengagewithvaluesincross-sectoral
collaborationstoenablecollectivedecision-making.
2.CreatingPreferableFuturesUsinganEthical
Imagination
Acombinationofacademic,civicandbusinesspartnersarebroughttogetherintheLabs,who
identifykeychallengeareasalongwithinnovationopportunitieswithintheirdomainsofpractice.
TheparticipantsinaLabareinvitedbasedontheirlivedexperienceandexpertisewithinthe
innovationcontext,withafocusonthosewhowillbenefitfromtheproposedinnovation,i.e.theend
userofaproduct,serviceorsystem.Envisioningchange,however,involvesshiftingfromanarrower
focusondesigningaproduct/systemtoconceptualisationofsocialpractices,continuouslearning
andchange,andimaginedfutures(Gregory,2003).TheLabsaimtosupportparticipantstomove
fromthe‘mundane’tothe‘creative’imagination,definedastheabilitytosynthesiseideasand
conceptsfromvarioussources,tomakesomethingnew,ortore-new(McAra-McWilliam,2006),to
redefinechallenges,imaginefuturepossibilitiesandcriticallyevaluatethosewhicharepreferable.
Usingtoolsandartefactsengagesthecreativeimaginationtoallowarangeofpossiblefuturestobe
exploredbasedontherichnessanddiversityofexperiencesandperspectivesratherthanasimple
extrapolationofcurrenttrendsfromasingleperspective(ibid).Usingprocessesbasedonthe
creativeimaginationgeneratesmoreattractivefuturepossibilitiesbymovingtheparticipants’
thinkingbeyondwhatislikelytohappentocreatingcollectivevisionsofwhatisthebestthatcanbe
andispreferablefrommultipleperspectives:an‘ethicalimagination.’
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Design-ledApproachtoCo-productionofValuesforCollectiveDecision-Making
Whenexploringmultiplefuturesthatmightbeconsideredequivalentintermsoffunctionalityand
usability,therecanbeamoralbasisforchoosingbetweenalternativedesigndecisions(Robertson,
2006citedinRobertsonandWagner,2013).IntheLabsparticipantsengageanethicalimaginationto
createpreferablefutureswhichmeettheneedsofmultiplestakeholders.Participantsengage
explicitlyandimplicitlyinethicaldecision-makingthroughtriallingimaginedactionsandexploring
thepotentialconsequences,resultinginanamalgamationofideasandshareddecisions(Lloyd,
2009).Realisticsettingsarecreatedtoallowforthetriallingofscenariosandactions,andmake
visibletheimplicitethicalconsiderationsthatunderpinandinformthedecision-makingprocess.
Bespokedesigntoolsandartefactsassistpeopleinembodyinganimaginedfutureworldwhichhas
referencepointstotherealworld.Theactivitiesandtoolsaremodelled,practisedandnurturedto
supportallthosewhoareinvolvedtofeelsafetoparticipatefullyandcomfortabletotakerisks
(Bryan,2004citedinMiellandLittleton,2006).Avarietyoftoolssuchasscenarioboardsand
experiencemapsareusedtoenableparticipantstosynthesisetheircurrentlivedexperiences,and
graduallytransitiontowardsimaginingpreferablefutures.Theactivitiesandtoolsareinformedby
corevaluesthatsupportparticipantstoengageinanethicalimaginationandnurturecollective
decision-making.
Figure1.ActivitiesandtoolsusedacrossvariousExperienceLabsprojectstocapturelivedexperiencesofparticipantsand
supportethicalimaginationtocreatepreferablefutures.Imagecredits:SanneReeBarthels,LouiseMather,Hannah
Laycock.
3.CoreValuesofExperienceLabs
AnumberofvaluesguidethedesignofExperienceLabsandthewaysinwhichparticipants
collaborateinthedesignprocess.Throughourreflectivepracticespanningoveraperiodofthree
yearsandovereightyLabsacrossapproximately15healthandcaretopics,thesevalueshave
emergedascrucialinsupportingcollaboration,imaginationanddecision-making.
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SNEHARAMAN,TARAFRENCH,ANGELATULLOCH
Thevaluesofinclusivity,empathyandreciprocityarekeytofacilitatingparticipation,establishing
trustandenablingcollaborationamongdiversegroups.Differentvoicesneedtobeheardinadesign
process,andatitscorePDhasanethicalmotivationtosupportpeopletoengagewitheachotherin
envisioningfuturesandshapingtheirworld(RobertsonandWagner,2013).ExperienceLabsensure
thatallparticipantsfeelabletoengageandcontributeusinganopenandinclusiveprocess.Different
sensitivities,abilitiesandlevelsofcare/supportaretakenintoaccountwhiledesigningtheactivities,
methodsandtoolstoensureinclusivitywhenworkingwithdiversegroups,suchaspeoplewith
disabilitiesorolderadults(French,Teal,HepburnandRaman,inpress).Similarly,thevalueof
empathyiscrucialtoachieveahighlevelofengagementandcollaboration,ensuringthatalongwith
thesharedexperienceswithinagroupthediversityintheirknowledgeandexperiencesaremade
visibletoallowmutuallearningandappreciation.Dialogicalapproachessuchasusingpersonal
artefactstoshareexperiences,collaborativestorytellingandcreativepop-upactivitiesinpublic
spaceshavebeenusedtocreatemeaningfulengagementwithparticipantsandtopromoteempathy
withandamongthosewhoparticipate(ibid).Theabilitytoshapeandsustainreciprocalrelationships
alsohasanimpactonthelevelofengagementandestablishingthenatureofcollaborationswithin
theLabs.Byfacilitatingacreative,joyfulandreflectiveexperienceofparticipation(Robertsonand
Wagner,2013)andtheunderstandingthatthedesignlearningwillbenefitparticipantsorothersin
similarsituationsinthefuture(Restakis,2010),avoluntaryexchangeofideasisnurturedintheLabs.
ExperienceLabsfosterkeyvaluessuchascreativity,opennessandoptimismtosupportparticipants
towardsimagining,triallinganditeratingpreferablefutures.Thechoiceofmethodsanddesignof
bespoketools,alongwithamultiplicityofperspectivesbroughtbydiversegroupscreateconditions
conducivetocreativitywithinaLab(BratteteiandWagner,2012;French,TealandRaman,2016;
Frenchetal.,inpress).Beinginuncertaintywithoutaffectingaprematureclosureofthecreative
processiscrucialforcreativeimagination(McAra-McWilliam,2007).Itisincreasinglygaining
relevancewhenworkingwithcomplexsystems,andisaguidingprincipleforthedesignand
facilitationofPDactivitieswithintheLabs.Opennessiscrucialforsynthesisingamultiplicityofviews
andseeingthingsdifferentlytoallownovelandsurprisingsolutionstoemerge(Bratteteiand
Wagner,2012).Atthesametime,nurturingoptimismandbelievingthatcurrentconditionsare
changeableforthebetterisimportant(Boyer,CookandSteinberg,2011).Anassets-basedapproach
(FootandHopkins,2010)isusedtosupportparticipantsandprojectpartnerstothinkpositively
aboutchange,byidentifyingtheircollectivestrengthsandopportunitiesforimprovementrather
thanproblemsanddeficits,toenvisionpreferablefutures.
Creatingsharedinsightsandawarenessofmultipleperspectivessupportsinformeddecision-making.
Fosteringequalityiscrucialforfacilitatingtheexchangeofexpertandexperientialknowledge
throughaniterativeprocessofsociallearning(Sanoff,2008).ExperienceLabsstrivetopromote
equalityandremoveanyexistingpowerdynamicsbychoosingspacesthatareneutral,andby
creatinganinformalandrelaxedatmospherewhereallparticipantsfeelcomfortablebeingcritical
andsharingtheirviewswitheachother.SometimesaseriesofLabsareorganizedwithseparate
groupstomapdifferentperspectivesonthetopic,identifyanypotentialbarrierstoequalityand
informthedesignofcollaborativeactivitiestoovercomethembeforebringingdiversegroupsto
worktogetherinaLab(Frenchetal.,inpress).
Thesecorevaluesguidecollaborationandethicalimagination,andcreatetheconditionsconducive
tocollectivedecision-making.However,thevaluesthatinformnegotiationofdesignargumentsand
decision-makingtowardsidentifyingpreferablefuturesarethemselvesco-producedandmanifested
‘inthemoment’whentheparticipantsandprojectpartnersengagewiththetoolsandwitheach
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Design-ledApproachtoCo-productionofValuesforCollectiveDecision-Making
other.Therefore,givingattentiontotheemergentvaluesandunderstandinghowtheyinfluencethe
progressionofideastowardspreferablefuturesiscriticalforcollectivedecision-making.
4.Co-productionofValuesforCollectiveDecisionmaking
Therearetwostrandsofdecision-makingintheExperienceLabs:firstly,thedecisionswhichinform
thedesignandimplementationoftheLabsunderpinningthePDprocess;andsecondly,thedecisions
relatingtotheinnovationcontextandprogressionofideasduringtheLabs.Labresearchersmakea
numberofdecisionsrelatedtothefirststrand.Akeydecisioninvolvesgainingabalanceof
perspectivesandthisisinformedbyaperiodofresearchtogainanunderstandingoftheproject
context.Anotherdecisionrelatestothechoiceofspecificmethods,activities,toolsandartefacts
usedintheLabs.Withrespecttothesecondstrand,researchersmakeanumberofdecisionsduring
theLab,suchas“howtoproceed;giveformtothevisualandotherrepresentations;helpestablish
meanings,motives,andcausality;respondwhensomethingbreakstheexpectedflowofevents;and
ofteninventfreshandcreativeresponsesonthespot”(Selvin,BuckinghamShumandAakhus,2010).
However,theemphasisisonsupportingcollaboratorsinthedesignprocesstocollectivelymake
decisionspertainingtotheinnovationandtheprogressofideastowardspreferablefutures.Inthis
context,theprojectpartnersandparticipantsmaytakeonnewrolesthatdifferfromtherolesthey
assumeineverydaysituations.Thepartners,forexample,maybecomeparticipantsinsomeLabs;or
theparticipantsmayassumetheroleofco-designers.Althoughpartnersandparticipantsmay
assumespecificroles,itisimportanttorecognisethattheybringwiththemasetofvaluesthatare
inherenttotheindividualorcharacteristicoftheorganisationstheyarerepresenting.Thiscould
haveaninfluenceontheirmotivationsandimpactthedecision-makingprocess.Researchersattempt
toidentifytheimplicitvaluesthatinfluencediversestakeholdersinadditiontogainingcontextual
insightswhilepreparingfortheLabs.Theseinformthedesignofactivities,bespoketoolsand
artefacts,whichhelptoarticulatetheargumentsfromdifferentperspectivesandmakethecriteria
visible,andsupportthecreationofasharedvaluesspace.
Hierarchiesandexistingpowerdynamicscanposeabarrierindecision-making.PDprovidesa
frameworkforpromotingawarenessofexistingpowerdynamics,anddealingwithnegotiationof
conflictingconstraintsandvaluesbymakingvisiblediversestakeholders'interestsandknowledge
(HyysaloandLehenkari,2002;Gregory,2003).However,therearenosetrulesorstandardtoolsto
guidecollectivedecision-making,andthecriteriaareoftenspontaneouslyformulatedduringthe
discussionsanddebates(Darses,2002).Tensionsaremadevisibletoallowdiscussionamongthe
groupaspartoftheshifttowardstheethicalimagination.Removinghierarchiesandrelinquishingof
authoritariancontrolispromotedinfavourofamoredemocraticengagement.Althoughproject
partnersmayhaveidentifiedthechallengeareaandinnovationopportunitiesbasedontheir
expertise,itiscrucialthattheyrelinquishtheirsolecontroloverthedesignconceptsintheLabsand
aresupportedtoconsidernewwaysofworking.Resultsemergethroughtheactionsofeveryone
workingtogetherinamutualcreativelearningexperience.
Maintaininganasset-basedapproachthroughouttheLabssupportstheremovalofhierarchyand
promotesanethicalimaginationandoptimismthroughactivitiesdesignedtocollectivelyshare
assetsandexperiencesamongthegroup.ToolswithintheLabsaredesignedtopromotethesharing
ofassetsandexperiencesandtoenhancedialogueandnegotiationofviewpoints(Frenchetal.,
2016).Thetoolssupportanempathicexperienceamongparticipantswhichbuildstrustandenables
thegrouptounderstandhowtheindividualperspectivesfittogetherasawhole.Theresulting
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SNEHARAMAN,TARAFRENCH,ANGELATULLOCH
sharedexperienceelicitsindividualvaluesandenablesco-productionofvaluesthatarepertinentto
theprojectcontexttowardscollectivedecision-making.
Narrativesplayakeyroleinsharingexperiencesandcreatingasharedunderstandingamongdiverse
groupsbysupportingempathyandimagination.Constructingandsharingpersonalstoriesand
comprehendingthestoryofothersallowparticipantstoenterthedecision-makingprocessby
includingcontextualelements,whichcomplementand/orshapethecriteriafordecision-making
(Hall,2002,citedinRobertsonandWagner,2013).ToolssuchasscenarioboardsandLegoareused
forsharingstoriesandtopromoteasharedlanguageensuringinclusivityandequalitybyremoving
jargon.ThenarrativesarecapturedvisuallyandintheLabartefactstocreateatrailofcontributions
fromallthoseinvolvedincorporatingamultiplicityofviewstosupportcollectivedecision-making.In
additiontovisualsandtools,theuseofmetaphorsandanalogiesplayanimportantrolein
supportinganethicalimaginationbypromptingnewthoughtsandallowingstakeholderstosee
thingsfromanewperspective.Metaphorschosenareusuallyneutralandrelatabletoadiverse
groupofpeople.Metaphors,thus,helptoexploreandarticulateconnectionsbetweenexperiences
andviewsofallthoseparticipating,andestablishmoreliteralmeaningstotheexperiences(Beaney,
2005).
Creatingavisibletrailofdiverseexperiencesandviewsfrommultiplestakeholdersusingvisualsand
artefactsalsohelpstobroadenstakeholders’perspectiveonatopicandtomakevisibleproposed
criteriadeemedasimportantfordecision-makingbydifferentgroups.Thishelpsasystemicviewto
emergeonthetopicandcreatenewpointsofreference,whicharecrucialtothecollectivedecisionmakingprocess(RasmussenetaI.,1991,citedinDarses,2002).Ignoringconflictscouldpotentially
leadtooutcomesthatbecomeproblematicandarenoteffectiveforeveryone(Gregory,2003).A
systemicviewexaminedfrommultipleperspectivesisimportanttoensurethatanyconflictingviews
maybecollectivelyexamined,negotiatedandsynthesisedduringdecision-making.
5.CaseStudies
Thefollowingsectionpresentstwocasestudiestoillustratetheroleofvaluesinsupportingcollective
decision-makingwithinExperienceLabs.Eachexampleshowsthelinkbetweenthetwostrandsof
decision-making:decisionsrelatedtodesignandimplementationoftheLabs,andthedecisions
relatedtotheinnovationcontextandprogressionofideas.
5.1Capturingmulti-stakeholderperspectivesduringprioritisationof
requirementsforacommunitytooltoimprovestreetaccessibility
WhendesigningtheactivitiesforthefinalLabduringoneoftheprojects,researchersidentifieda
needtocreateaplatformforprojectpartnersandparticipantstoworktogethertosynthesise
insightsfromprevioussessionsandfinalisekeydesignrequirements.Table1presentsthediverse
roles,skillsandmotivationsofallthoseinvolvedintheproject.
Table1.Perspectives,skillsandvaluesinfluencingdecision-makinginprioritisingrequirementsforstreetaccessibility.
Roles
Civicpartner/
Academicpartner/
Localcouncil
Healthacademic/
representative/ Participant
Participant
Participant/Wheelchair
usersandrepresentatives
fromdisabilitygroups
Background/skills
Service
improvement
and
Livedexperiences,
awarenessofgeneral
challengesrelatedtothe
Research,health
practitioner
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Design-ledApproachtoCo-productionofValuesforCollectiveDecision-Making
implementation
disability
Motivations
Improving
servicequality,
encouraging
community
participation
Impactandpolicy
implications
Improvingusabilityand
qualityofservices
Decision-making
influences/prior
experiences
Consulting
usersfor
feedback,not
jointdecisionmaking
Influencingpolicyfrom
theground
Voicingopinionsandoften
notreceivingany
response
Inresponsetotheneedforcreatingamulti-stakeholderperspectiveforprioritisation,atoolwas
designedtocreateademocraticplatformforcommunitygroupsandcitizenstoworktogetherwith
theprojectpartnerstowardsprioritisingdesignrequirements.
Figure2.Thethreepartsofthetoolwhichhelpedtoguidethedecision-makingprocessbyarticulatingmultiple
perspectives,distillingrequirementsbyreviewinginsightsfromprevioussessionsandcollectivelyprioritisingpreferable
outcomes.Imagecredits:HannahLaycock,RobertMcFadzean.
Thetoolwasdesignedtosupportthevaluesofequalityandcreativity,andcreateashared
understandingforsettingdesigngoalstogetherintheLab.Ithadthreeparts,similartoaninnovation
generator(Gray,2012).Throughusingthetooltheaimwasredefinedfromamulti-stakeholder
perspectivebyreviewinginsightsandverifyingkeythemesfromprevioussessions.Examplesof
existingserviceswereprovidedtoopenuptheparticipant’sthinkingandinspirethemtoconsidera
rangeofpossibilitiesthatsuittheirowncontext.Understandingwhatimpactsimilarserviceshave
hadinothercontextshelpedtodistilkeyrequirements.Creatingacollectivepoolofrequirements
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SNEHARAMAN,TARAFRENCH,ANGELATULLOCH
andexamplesonasharedplatformsupportednegotiationbetweendiverseperspectives;e.g.when
choosingbetweenhigh-leveldatacapturetoinfluencepolicyoronthegroundinterventionssuchas
findingroutes,theprimaryfunctionofthetoolwascollectivelyagreedasanavigationtoolforpeople
withmobilityissuesoverdatacaptureforpolicyinfluence.Thiswasaidedthroughcapturing
emergingvaluesandrequirementsalongsideinsightsfrompreviousLabs.Thereisageneralriskof
prioritisationoftenbeingimplementation-ledratherthanneeds-led,butbringingindiversegroups
andcapturingtheirexperiencesandviewsonpreferableoutcomesintheearliersessionsandmaking
themvisibletoguidethediscussionusingthedesigntoolhelpedtoensurethatallviewswere
consideredwhenfinalisingthekeyrequirements.Thetoolcreatedasharedplatformand
encouragedthecommunitytohaveavoiceindecision-makingrelatedtolocalissues.
5.2Useofnarrativestoengagevulnerablegroupsindecision-making
toco-designagame-basedlearningtool
Anotherexamplefocusesontheuseofnarrativestoengageyoungpeoplewithlearningdisabilities
toensuretheyhadanequalvoiceindecision-makingduringco-designsessions.Table2presentsthe
diverseroles,skillsandmotivationsofallthoseinvolvedintheco-designsessions.
Table2.Perspectives,skillsandvaluesinfluencingdecision-makingwhenco-designingagame-basedlearningtool.
Roles
Academic
project
partner/
Seriousgame
researcher/
facilitator
Civicpartner/New Participant/
mediaeducation
Trainer/
projectofficer/
facilitator
facilitator
Participant/Young
peoplewith
learningdisabilities
Background/skills
Seriousgames,
UI
Learningneeds,
behavioural
change
Livedexperiences,
personalgaming
andlearning
preferences
Motivations
Endproduct,
gamebased
learningtool
Qualityoftraining, Qualityof
training,
impact
impact
Enjoyablelearning
experience
Decision-making
influences/prior
experiences
Limitedtime
andresources,
translatinguser
needstodesign
gamebased
learningtool
Understanding
learningneeds,
creatinglearning
modulesforyoung
people
Psychosocial
needs,oftentold
whatisbestfor
them
Learning
needs,
behavioural
change
Translating
learningneeds
and
communicating
onbehalfof
thelearners
Inthisexample,corevaluesofinclusivity,empathy,opennessandequalityensuredthattheyoung
peoplewereabletocontributetothedecision-makingprocess.Thiswasachievedbyshiftingthe
focusoftheactivitiesfromtheendproducttoindividualneedsandpreferencesrelatedtolearning
experiences.Creatingaplatformforsharingpersonalexperienceshelpedtoestablishempathyand
trustinthegroup.Capturingthenarrativesvisuallyandusingartefactscreatedbytheyoungpeople
intheearlystagesoftheprojectallowedgradualprogressiontowardsbuildinglow-fiprototypesover
multiplesessions.Additionally,theuseofmetaphorssuchastalkingabout‘superpowers’andusing
Legoandrole-playtoimaginefuturescenarioshelpedtomaketheprocesscreativeandopentonew
possibilities,andenabledtheyoungpeopletodiscusstheirexpectationsaroundperceivedskillsand
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Design-ledApproachtoCo-productionofValuesforCollectiveDecision-Making
benefitstheycouldgainbyusingthelearningtool.Italsohelpedtocreateamoreequalplatformfor
theyoungpeopletoworkdirectlywithprojectpartnersandresearchers,whilstthepresenceofthe
trainersprovidedasenseoffamiliarityandenhancedsupport.
Figure3.Narrativetoolsandmetaphorsusedtocapturethelivedexperiencesofparticipantsalongwiththeirlearning
needsandgamingpreferencesduringtheco-designsessions.Imagecredits:LouiseMather.
Allstakeholdersworkingtogetherensuredthatthegameconceptsemergeddirectlyfromthecodesignsessions,andtheprogressionofideasandkeyvalueswerecapturedintheartefactsrather
thanbeingre-interpretedlater.Forexample,basedontheindividualnarrativesand‘superpowers’it
emergedveryearlyintheprocessthatpsychosocialvaluessuchasmakingfriendsandgaining
confidencewerekeyfortheyoungpeople,alongwithvaluessuchassafetyandprivacyhighlighted
bythetrainersaspartofthelearningmodule,andwerecollectivelytakenforwardintothefinal
conceptforthegame-basedlearningtool.
6.Discussion
Thispaperhasidentifiedthevaluessupportingcollectivedecision-makinginthepracticeofPDwithin
ExperienceLabs.Thesevaluesarerealisedthroughtools,activitiesandtherolesofresearchers,by
creatingconditionsconducivetocollectivedecision-making.ThecorevaluesnurturedintheLabsto
supportcollaborationinformthosethatareco-producedduringtheprocess,andtogetherenable
collectivedecision-making.
Inbreakingdownhierarchies,employinganasset-basedandnarrativeapproach,andresolving
conflictbymakingthedecision-makingprocessvisiblethroughtoolsandartefacts,theLabselicitthe
valuesofdifferentstakeholders,andenablethesharingandco-productionofvalueswithintheLab.
WeproposethatattentiontothevaluesthatarenurturedintheLabsandthosewhichemerge
duringthedesignprocesscreatesaspacethatsupportscollectivedecision-making.Thelearnings
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SNEHARAMAN,TARAFRENCH,ANGELATULLOCH
sharedinthispapersupporttheargumentforamorecarefulconsiderationofvaluesasanorganising
principleinPD(Iversonetal.,2012)andalsodemonstratetheirinfluenceinthedecision-making
processtothesameextentasknowledgeandskills(Trimingham,2008).
Themethodsandapproachesdiscussedinthispapersupportcollectivedecision-makinginthe
followingways:emphasisingmutuallearningoverpowerplay;usingnarrativestocomplement
specialistknowledge;andcreatingademocraticplatformtosynthesisedivergentviewsover
neutralisingconflict.ThesearecrucialqualitiesforcreatingaPDspacethatnurturescollective
decision-making.Utilisingtoolsandartefactstosupportthisspaceaidsthesharingandtranslationof
diverseperspectivestowardsanethicalimaginationthatenablestheco-creationofpreferable
futures.
Thecontextofhealthandcareitselfisexperiencingashifttowardsamodelofshareddecisionmakingwherepatientsareempoweredtotakeamoreactiveroleindecision-makingregardingtheir
health.Inthiscontext,shareddecision-makingisdefinedasa“two-wayrelationalprocessofhelping
peopletoreflecton,andexpress,theirpreferencesbasedontheiruniquecircumstances,
expectations,beliefsandvalues”(ChiefMedicalOfficer,2016).ExperienceLabsarealignedtothis
modelinthattheyencouragereflection,supportexpressionofpreferencesbasedonthevaluesand
livedexperienceofparticipants.Weproposethatbyoperatinginthisway,theoutcomesand
approachofLabshavethepotentialtopositivelyimpactshareddecision-makinginthecontextof
healthandcare.Therefore,whenconsidering‘nextthinking’forcollectivedecision-makinginPD,itis
importanttoexaminehowtheinherentvaluesshapetheadaptationofPDapproachesandmethods
tomakethemcontext-specificandsupporttheemergenceofsharedvalueswhileengagingwith
diversestakeholders.
7.Conclusion
InthispaperwehavesharedthecorevaluesofExperienceLabsthatsupportcollaborationamong
diversestakeholdersengaginginaPDprocess,identifiedthroughourreflectivepractice.Wehave
discussedhowthecorevaluessupportanethicalimaginationtocreatetheconditionsforcollective
decision-makingtowardspreferablefutures.Asaresult,wehavedistilledkeyqualitiesthatsupport
cross-sectoralcollaborationbyenablingnewcommunicativespacesforexperientiallearningto
nurturecollectivedecision-making.Wehaveillustratedhowthesequalitiesareappliedinthehealth
andcarecontextthroughtheLabs,however,weproposethattheemergingqualitiesofcollective
decision-makinghavevalueinothercontexts.Weproposethat‘nextthinking’inPDshouldfocuson
engagingmoreexplicitlywithvaluestoshapewaysinwhichcross-sectoralcollaborationsare
supportedthroughanethicalimaginationwherenewmeaningsandmotivationsforpreferable
futurescantakeformthroughcollectivedecision-making.
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AbouttheAuthors:
SnehaRamanisaResearchAssociateatTheGlasgowSchoolofArt.Shedevelops
innovativeapproachestoengagewithcomplexsocialorsystemicissues,focussingonthe
socialconditionsofdesigning.ShealsoteachesthePostgraduatecourseinTransformation
Design.
Dr.TaraFrenchisaResearchFellowatTheGlasgowSchoolofArtwithexpertisein
participatorydesignapproacheswithinthecontextofhealthandwellbeing.Herresearch
interestsincludeeudaimonicwellbeing,exploringtheconditionswhichcultivatehuman
flourishing.
AngelaTullochisaResearchAssociateatTheGlasgowSchoolofArtwithaMastersin
DesignandabackgroundinInteriorArchitecture.Currentresearchinterestsincludeethics
indesignresearchandhowthisinformsfuturepracticeanddesigneducation.
Acknowledgements:Wewouldliketothankalltheparticipantswhotookpartinthe
ExperienceLabsdescribedinthecasestudies.Wewouldalsoliketothankourproject
partnersfortheircollaboration,andacknowledgethesupportfromourExperienceLabs
colleaguesduringtheprojects.
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