A lecture by Outi Kuittinen for The New School’s Transdisciplinary Design MA program on how to use co-creation as a strategic tool for change. Email: outi.kuittinen(a)demoshelsinki.fi Twitter: @outikookoo

1. Co-creating change
Outi Kuittinen, Head of Co-Creation, Demos Helsinki
19 Oct 2016, Studio “From Big Science to Citizen Science and
Beyond”, Transdisciplinary Design, The New School
www.demoshelsinki.fi @outikookoo

2. What is co-creation
for you?

3. My perspective
Y Lab – 130 experience and subject
experts concepting new urban,
high-quality & low-cost housing, and
a new role for a housing foundation
Helsinki Challenge –
100 researchers and partners
creating science-based solutions
to the challenges of the society,
and a new culture of interaction
at the university
Smart Retro – 12 cities,
corporations and universities, 15
startups and 700 users developing
sustainable urban services, and a new
model for urban development

4. Co-creation is an approach of inviting
relevant stakeholders to collectively
address issues, solve problems and exploit
opportunities by combining their insights,
skills and resources.
Its aim is to create outcomes, which are
not known in advance, which the
stakeholders could not create on their
own, find mutually valuable and
feel ownership for.

5. DESIGN AND LEAD CO-CREATION
DEFINE WHAT YOU
ACTUALLY ARE CO-CREATING
BUILD AN ITERATIVE PROCESS
WITH INTERMEDIATE OUTCOMES
FIND & MOTIVATE YOUR
OBVIOUS AND NOT-SO-OBVIOUS
CO-CREATORS
KNOW YOUR GOAL
AND SKETCH A STRATEGY FOR
CHANGE

6. KNOW YOUR GOAL
AND SKETCH
A STRATEGY FOR
CHANGE

7. Your goal:
Policy change?
Perception change?
Behaviour change?

8. Co-creation is often
about change.
(Or should be used
only if.)

9. Many elements that are going to create
something new, some changes,
also friction, uncomfort:
Co-creation is an approach of inviting
relevant stakeholders to collectively
address issues, solve problems and exploit
opportunities by combining insights,
skills and resources.
Its aim is to create outcomes, which are
not known in advance and which the
stakeholders could not create on their
own, find mutually valuable and feel
ownership for.

10. A change process
Co-creation as
A method or
project phase
An organisational
culture
? !
? !

11. SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Framing assumptions
about change and
how it happens
DESIGN
Understanding
value and testing
assumptions
BUSINESS &
MANA-
GEMENT
Framing assumptions
about value and
org. behaviour
FIELDS OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
INFLUENCING CO-CREATION
They bring in different background ideas or
ideologies, goals and strengths
Centre graph on the roles of dfferent disciplines in co-creation insipired by Humanomics, http://www.humanomics.co/2014/05/30/the-blind-men-and-the-elephant/

12. GOALS
Services, products or models,
which answer to real needs and
are intuitive and excellent to use
STRENGTHS
Experience perspective
Empathy
Process, methods
TRADITIONS, e.g.
Participatory design
User-led design
Service design
Design thinking
Design for participation
GOALS
Legitimate, democratically
achieved systems fostering equity
Emancipation
STRENGTHS
Theories of change
Analysis of power
Capacity-building
TRADITIONS, e.g.
Participatory democracy
Stakeholder engagement
Community engagement
Social Innovation
Public Innovation
GOALS
Innovative services, products
and strategies, making better
business and differentiating in
the market
Successful organisations
STRENGTHS
Value evaluation
“Business” model
TRADITIONS, e.g.
Open innovation
Organisational change
management
FIELDS OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE
INFLUENCING CO-CREATION
SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Framing assumptions
about change and
how it happens
BUSINESS &
MANA-
GEMENT
DESIGN
Understanding
value and testing
assumptions Framing assumptions
about value and
org. behaviour

13. DEFINE WHAT YOU
ACTUALLY ARE
CO-CREATING
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14. Your goal:
Policy change
Perception change
Behaviour change
What do you need for
achieving it?

15. new service or product concepts
new functions or operations
new business models
scenarios
new strategies and policies
new initiatives
Which ones do you need to reach
your goal?

16. new service or product concepts
new functions or operations
new business models
scenarios
new strategies and policies
new initiatives
new processes
new roles or positions
new relationships
new partnerships
new networks
a new community
an ecosystem
new skills and capabilities
new perception of one’s role
trust in the leading organization
legitimacy for new initiatives and
changes
a new problem definition
insights
common understanding and
sensemaking
shared vision or goals
shared experiences
inspiration, motivation
ownership of an issue
empowerment, advocacy
Which ones do you need to reach
your goal?

17. new service or product concepts
new functions or operations
new business models
scenarios
new strategies and policies
new initiatives
a new problem definition
insights
common understanding and
sensemaking
shared vision or goals
shared experiences
inspiration, motivation
ownership of an issue
empowerment, advocacy
new processes
new roles or positions
new relationships
new partnerships
new networks
a new community
an ecosystem
new skills and capabilities
new perception of one’s role
trust in the leading organization
legitimacy for new initiatives and
changes
Possible Outcomes
of Co-creation

18. EXAMPLE CASE:
PELOTON
Behaviour change through
creating new consumer
services that enable
sustainable lifestyles

19. A service design camp to concept
sustainable services

20. A temporary community was born

21. Peloton Club – A community & ecosystem
pelotonclub.me

22. Co-creation
events
Final
service
concept
Co-creation process

23. Co-creation process
Final
service
concept
Co-creation
events
Skills
Partnerships
Networks

24. We might not design the process to
create the “bi-products” we need for
implementing the concepts and
sustaining change.
Or we are so concentrated in getting
what we want that we are not prepared
to notice, support or include the more we
wanted.
apply
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25. >> At the start, sketch what you want to
see start developing already during the
process in order to help implement the
concept(s) and support the change,
– and design the process accordingly.
Also be sensitive to and ready to include
the unforeseen “bi-products” in the
concept.
apply
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26. Checklist
❏ What are your goals you want to advance through a co-creation process?
❏ What is it that you actually want / need to co-create to reach your goal?
❏ Which are the most important outcomes you want to achieve?
❏ Which are secondary?
❏ Does your process support achieving your primary outcomes?
❏ What can you do when something unexpected but potential emerges,
e.g. a network, strong advocacy etc.?
❏ Are you flexible enough to include them in the concept (time, budget, your
mindset)?
❏ How can you capture them and make your customer to see their value,
even if not part of your concept?
❏ Is there a way to find resources to support them?
❏ What other type of work you need to do than your design work to get your
concept implemented? E.g. talk 1 on 1 to get someone convinced, have a draft
plan for the customer how to resource of the concept implementation...
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