The Collaborative Evaluation and Co-Design (Cec) Approach: Prospects for Effective Solutions-Innovations, Epistemological Foundations and Implementation Process

Abstract

One typical challenge of designing solutions is that they seem feasible in theory but are difficult to implement at scale and to make sustainable. To address this challenge, there is a growing call for the inclusion of every actor in the innovation process. Our study’s hypothesis points to the collaborative evaluation and co-design (CEC) approach as the ideal way to the adoption of workable solutions. This methodological design paper aims to introduce the reader to the foundations and the use of this approach. Multiple tests of its effectiveness were conducted in different Moroccan school environments. Then a comparative analysis of the tests’ results allowed a revision each time and led to the first finding; the development of the CEC approach based on the theoretical perspective of “meaning making” by actors. The second finding is the different steps of its use, namely the exploratory phase and the organization and conduct of workshops. The research identified key opportunities and recommendations for the successful implementation of the findings. Finally, this evolution of design research from a user-centered approach to co-design opens new areas of collective creativity as well as potentially more sustainable innovations in different fields.