(Co-)creating knowledge and change: Design in research

Introduction

Key terms: qualitative research, co-creation, participatory design, relevant for students in any phase of the PhD trajectory

ECTS: 2.5
Number of sessions: 5
Hours per session: 3

Are you looking for ways to co-create knowledge with stakeholders, and use your research to support change in practice?

This course will help you understand how you can accomplish that. It introduces researchers to design and co-creation as ways to make research more collaborative, impactful, and socially relevant. It explores how researchers can work with stakeholders to develop knowledge together and translate research insights into meaningful interventions. Participants will be introduced to design as an approach to inquiry, in which knowledge is generated not only through analysis, but also through experimentation, prototyping, stakeholder engagement, and reflection.

Through a combination of interactive lectures, hands-on exercises, and peer feedback, participants will work iteratively on their own research or a hypothetical case, gradually developing a stakeholder and context map, a design for a co-creation session, intervention requirements, and a prototype or intervention concept. 

The course requires active participation and engagement between sessions. Participants are expected to iteratively develop and refine their work throughout the five weeks.

Who is this for?

Relations with other courses

This course complements participatory and qualitative research courses that are offered by the EGSH by introducing a design-informed perspective on engaging with society and translating research into action. While courses such as Action and participation in research for social change emphasise collaboration and social change, this course adds design as a way of knowing, focusing on iteration, framing, prototyping, and the use of artefacts in research.

In relation to Civic engagement in action, it provides concrete design approaches for developing interventions and explores how impact emerges through iterative processes. Compared to ethnography, which centres on understanding social contexts, this course extends towards intervention by focusing on translating insights into opportunities for change.

The course can be taken alongside or after these courses to broaden participants’ methodological repertoire. It is particularly valuable for those who want to move from understanding and participation towards designing research processes and interventions that contribute to societal impact.

Session 1: Design as a way of knowing
This session introduces the role of design in research, exploring design thinking and practice and their value in academic contexts. Participants learn the distinction between Research through Design and Research for Design, and examine key principles such as iteration, framing, prototyping, and sensemaking. The session also highlights how design processes differ from traditional research cycles. Participants reflect on their own research approach and consider where design-oriented methods may be relevant. 
Preparation: Short reading on design approaches in research (provided in syllabus).

Session 2:  Research through design: co-creation and design approaches to research
We zoom in on co-creation and the role it can play in doing Research through Design. Participants are introduced to design methods for inquiry, we discuss generative techniques and the use of probes. We discuss how such methods can help researchers engage with participants, stakeholders, and complex research contexts in exploratory and reflective ways. 
Preparation: Short reading on co-creation and generative design. Prepare a brief description of your research context and potential stakeholders.

Session 3: Designing and facilitating a co-creation session
In this session, participants learn how to integrate co-creative methods into a coherent session design. We focus on the role of the researcher in preparing, guiding, and reflecting on co-creative processes. Attention is given to power dynamics, ethics, and inclusion in participatory processes. Participants practice elements of process facilitation and receive peer feedback on their session design. The session supports participants in developing a co-creation session that is relevant to their own research or case.
Preparation: Draft outline of a co-creation session.

Session 4: Research for Design: From research to intervention requirements
Introduction to translating (messy) research insights into opportunities for change (Research for Design). Participants explore different types of interventions (e.g. services, policies, tools) and are introduced to intervention frameworks to understand levels and types of interventions and define requirements. They begin translating their own research insights or case into concrete intervention requirements.
Preparation: Bring preliminary research insights or a case to work with, and identify possible opportunities for change.

Session 5: Prototyping and embedding change
In this final session, participants develop intervention concepts through rapid prototyping, feedback, iteration, and reflection. They learn how prototypes can test assumptions, gather responses, and refine ideas before implementation. The session addresses user-centeredness, implementation, adoption, and the risk of superficial or short-lived impact (“Sugar Rush Effect”). Participants critically reflect on how their intervention is grounded in research insights, stakeholder perspectives, and the context in which it will be applied.
Preparation: Develop a draft concept of your intervention, including assumptions or questions you want feedback on.