Co-design as healing: A multi-level analysis based on a project with people facing mental health problems

The present paper explores the notion of co-design as healing by focusing on a project with participants facing mental health problems, who met once a week, guided by open design processes. Reflecting on semi structured interview data, as well as relevant literature from different disciplines, the paper offers a conceptual framing of how co-design can be considered as a healing practice, at a systems, social and individual level. At a systems level, co-design allows working with complexity, and approaching mental health problems holistically. At a social level, co-design empowers collectives to negotiate what realities to change and how. At an individual level, codesign affects people’s wellbeing, by enhancing their sense of agency and connection, stimulating thinking and essentially providing a grounding embodied experience. The paper offers a lens through which to reflect and expand on what we do as designers, and supports the notion of co-design as healing with initial evidence from one project.