Co-Design vs Faux-Design: Navigating the complexities of sharing power in co-design

Theme: Lived Experience | Accessibility, ethics and inclusion

This interactive session takes a step beyond the introductory concepts of power to explore real-world tensions, trade-offs, and systemic barriers that make genuine power sharing a necessity in co-design. Though it is not without challenge. 

Participants will unpack the difference between symbolic inclusion and true ownership, examining how structures, funding streams, timelines, and institutional norms can unintentionally reinforce inequality even with 'lived experts' at the table.

Through facilitated discussion, activities, and case-studies participants will see how authority is distributed, where it gets lost, and what strategies can shift decision-making toward more equitable outcomes. 

This session invites professionals, advocates, system designers, and lived experts alike to grapple with uncomfortable questions about who holds power, who relinquishes it, and at what cost. Equipping participants with practical tools to recognize tokenism, navigate conflict, and build processes where lived experts drive true change. 

Participant takeaways:

• A comprehensive understanding of lived expertise and its significance in community engagement and service design
• Practical strategies for effectively engaging, recruiting and retaining lived experts
• Tangible activities and approaches to implement within their own design initiatives, fostering inclusive and collaborative processes

This session:

• Includes interaction

This session is for:

Service professionals, government officials, consultants and practitioners involved in community engagement, service design, co-design processes, and anyone interested in integrating lived expertise into their projects or initiatives.