The impact of relational co-creative research in service design practice: A co-creative case study with dementia family caregivers in the Danish welfare system
Authors
Neuhoff, Rike ; Johansen, Nanna Dam
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-05-27
Pages
130
Abstract
Specialet undersøger, hvordan en relationel og samskabende forskningstilgang påvirker servicedesign og den værdi, det skaber. I denne tilgang er relationer og samarbejde centrale: de mennesker, som berøres af en service, inddrages som partnere og ikke kun som informanter. Undersøgelsen bygger på en case, der udforsker de udfordringer, som pårørende til mennesker med demens møder i det danske velfærdssystem. Designarbejdet mundede ud i en rapport med indsigter og muligheder for at forbedre støtten til disse pårørende. Processen var inspireret af Feed Forward-metoden og blev tilrettelagt i aktiviteter med et stærkt fokus på relationer og samskabelse. Den brugte metoder som åbne samtaler, personlige fortællinger og en fælles evaluering for at inddrage deltagerne dybt. Resultaterne peger på, at tilgangen ændrer servicedesigneres rolle. Den kræver ekstra ressourcer og kompetencer—fx at kunne støtte deltagere i følelsesmæssigt svære situationer—som ikke altid indgår i designeres uddannelse. Forskningen ser også alle i processen som eksperter: deltagerne er eksperter i egne erfaringer og temaet, mens designerne er eksperter i at facilitere design med andre. Relationer baseret på tillid, sensitivitet og empati fremmer engagement og hjælper deltagerne med at reflektere og handle til gavn for dem selv. Sådanne relationer kan fremmes ved at skabe trygge, uformelle og autentiske designmiljøer. Samlet udvider specialet forståelsen af, at designprocessen i sig selv rummer transformativ værdi—ikke kun den endelige service—og formulerer antagelser som grundlag for videre forskning.
This thesis examines how a relational, co-creative research approach influences service design and its value. In this approach, relationships and collaboration are central: people affected by a service are involved as partners, not just as informants. The study is built around a case exploring the challenges faced by family caregivers of people with dementia in the Danish welfare system. The design work produced a report with insights and opportunities to improve support for these caregivers. The process was inspired by the Feed Forward methodology and was organized into activities that kept a strong focus on relationships and co-creation. It used methods such as open conversations, personal stories, and a collective evaluation to involve participants deeply. Findings suggest that this approach reshapes the role of service designers. It calls for additional resources and skills—such as supporting participants in emotionally difficult situations—that are not always part of design training. The research also treats everyone in the process as an expert: participants are experts on their own experiences and topic, while designers are experts in facilitating design with others. Relationships based on trust, sensitivity, and empathy helped sustain engagement and prompted reflection that enabled participants to act in ways that benefit them. Such relationships can be nurtured by creating safe, informal, and authentic design environments. Overall, the thesis expands the view that the design process itself has transformative value, not just the final service, and it formulates assumptions to guide future research.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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