What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Critical Co-Design as a methodology in engaging Indigenous peoples in design processes.

September 2, 2021

Critical Co-Design and Agency of the Real

Key Points

This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Critical Co-Design as a methodology in engaging Indigenous peoples in design processes.
Conducted a workshop with young Indigenous Australian women to apply Critical Co-Design methodology.
Focused on creating a more inclusive platform for collaboration between the researcher and Indigenous participants.
Reflected on the importance of Indigenous ways of knowing in design thinking.
Demonstrated that Critical Co-Design facilitated successful outcomes through collaborative engagement.
Highlighted the significance of placing Indigenous ontologies at the forefront of design practices.
Postulated that integrating Indigenous knowledge can shift and enrich design thinking methodologies.

Abstract

This article explores research that was undertaken in a PhD project that investigated the creation and effectiveness of Critical Co-Design as a methodology. In particular, it explores how this methodology enabled successful outcomes from a workshop that was conducted with young Indigenous Australian women. The methodology and workshop aimed to create a platform for the researcher to work alongside Indigenous peoples in Australia in order to create mutually beneficial ways of working. Here, the authors reflect upon this research and postulate the importance of privileging Indigenous ways of knowing as a way of shifting approaches to design thinking. By examining the interconnectedness between these Indigenous ways of knowing and design thinking epistemology, the authors offer a paradigm for design thinking that engages the politics and the broader promise of (de)coloniality. This article reconfigures how design scholars and creative practitioners ascribe value to Indigeneity and practice by positioning Indigenous ontologies at the forefront of design thinking in general.

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