Collaborative design encourages a group of individuals with a checklist of needs into becoming a community, Tatiana Glad, founder and director of Impact Hub Amsterdam, tells Times of Malta. 

Design is usually perceived as an individual effort, driven by a subjective vision. Yet for Tatiana Glad, founder and director of Impact Hub Amsterdam, this does not exclude a collaborative element. 

“A well-hosted collaborative design process brings in both individual creative expression and what is generated between diverse people when they bounce ideas between each other. Furthermore, if the purpose of a space needs to serve a community, we have seen that collaborative design moves a group from being a gathering of individuals with a checklist of needs into becoming a community already through the process – with shared dreams and decisions – and not just because they will use the same space.”

This is the principle that drives co-design, a participatory process through which current or to-be users of a space – or product – engage in shaping it.

“This calls for giving feedback, engaging creatively, sensing and testing, as well as co-creating aspects of the space or product with other users. Two advantages are that first, it brings user hopes and concerns into the process where the design can still be influenced, and secondly, it enables stronger acceptance of the final space or product by its target users,” she added.

Co-design and engagement of various stakeholders drives a stronger sense of ownership

Does such a collaborative approach eliminate a sense of ownership and responsibility?

“I have found that in the case of building community spaces, co-design and engagement of various stakeholders drives a stronger sense of ownership because they have been involved in co-creating it,” she said.

“When people feel the space is theirs, something shifts in terms of co-responsibility and taking care of the whole that they feel is theirs rather than being in a transaction where someone ‘does’ the space for them. Of course, it is crucial to host the process well so that right conditions are created for this.”

In parallel, co-design also enhances a sense of community.

“Community is built by going through shared and meaningful experiences. By getting to know each others’ tastes and preferences, as well as co-creating aspects of your shared space, camaraderie and even further professional collaborations can emerge. In our twice yearly do-it-together days whereby our community engages in space enhancements, we always see new conversations come out of the time spent together.”

A collaborative approach can cater for various forms of design.

“What is most important is to be clear on the purpose of the co-design process and what you will do with the outputs of co-design sessions. It is a choice and perhaps not always the right choice to run a co-design process – for instance designing an important bridge or an airplane. Some things are best left up to experts and consultation with users may take other forms.” 

For Ms Glad, Malta can be a good context for co-design.

“Malta for centuries has been a hub for diverse cultures and traders to meet and exchange, so it should come naturally. It is something that forward-thinking organisations might consider in creating added value by engaging their various stakeholders.”

Co-design session

On October 10, a high-level co-design session will be taking place at the Malta Innovation Hub as part of the Malta Innovation Summit activities. Organised by the Enisie Project and funded by Interreg Italia-Malta, this one-day event is aimed at mentors of start-ups, social enterprises and hub administrators, and social innovation hub representatives as well as other businesses.

Tatiana Glad is an entrepreneur, sustainability practitioner and change strategist working across sectors and cultures with a focus on impact entrepreneurship, urban innovation, sustainable business and the next generation. She is co-founder and director of Impact Hub Amsterdam and is an appointed expert to the City of Amsterdam’s Action programme on Social Entrepreneurship. She sits on the board of Elos Foundation and the supervisory group of AIESEC International.