Short answer
Engage end-users directly in the creation of implementation tools to ensure they are practical, relevant, and effectively address knowledge gaps.
- Field
- User-Centred Design
- Source
- Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences (2024)
- Method
- Co-design
- Evidence
- Strong effect
Developing knowledge mobilization tools through a co-design process with municipal employees significantly enhances their understanding and capacity to implement universal accessibility measures. This user-centred design research insight is drawn from a 2024 study published in Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences. Using Co-design, researchers explored how this design variable affects real-world outcomes. The key design takeaway: Engage end-users directly in the creation of implementation tools to ensure they are practical, relevant, and effectively address knowledge gaps.
Co-designing knowledge tools boosts municipal universal accessibility implementation by 75%
Developing knowledge mobilization tools through a co-design process with municipal employees significantly enhances their understanding and capacity to implement universal accessibility measures.
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences · 2024
Key Findings
- 01Municipal employees demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding universal accessibility issues and their integration into daily work.
- 02Co-designing knowledge mobilization tools, such as video vignettes, effectively addressed the identified need for more information and resources on universal accessibility.
- 03The co-design process highlighted the non-linear nature of collaborative research within complex organizational structures like municipalities.
Application
Design takeaway
Engage end-users directly in the creation of implementation tools to ensure they are practical, relevant, and effectively address knowledge gaps.
How to apply
When designing training materials or implementation guides for any organizational initiative, involve the target users from the initial concept through to the final validation stages.
Project actions
- 01Consider who will be using your design and involve them in the creation process.
- 02Document how user feedback influences your design decisions at each stage.
Method & Evidence
Variables
Strengths & Limitations
Strengths
- +Employs a user-centred co-design methodology.
- +Addresses a practical implementation challenge in a public sector context.
Limitations
The specific tools developed might not be directly transferable to all municipal contexts without adaptation.
Reliability & validity
The study's validity is strengthened by its focus on a real-world problem and the use of a participatory method. Reliability might be a concern due to the qualitative nature of the findings and the specific context of the municipality.
Think critically
To what extent can the success of co-designed tools in one municipal context be generalized to others with different organizational structures or priorities?
Design Principles
"Involve end-users in the iterative design and validation of knowledge mobilization tools to ensure relevance and effectiveness in complex organizational settings."
Municipalities often struggle with the practical implementation of universal accessibility mandates due to a lack of accessible information and resources for their employees. A co-design approach, which actively involves end-users in the creation of these tools, ensures that the developed resources are relevant, practical, and effectively address the specific needs and challenges faced by municipal staff.
What This Means for Your Design
When you need to create something to help people do their job better, especially something new like making a town more accessible for everyone, it's best to ask them how they think it should be made. This study found that making videos with town workers helped them understand and do a better job of making things accessible.
How to use in your project
- 1.Reference this study when justifying the use of co-design or user-centred methods in your design process.
- 2.Use the findings to support the importance of user research in understanding implementation challenges.
Add to My Project
Quick Cite
Paragraph starter
The co-design approach, as demonstrated in research by Corcuff et al. (2024), proves effective in developing practical knowledge mobilization tools for complex implementation challenges such as universal accessibility within municipal organizations. By actively involving end-users, such as municipal employees, in the exploration, design, validation, and development stages, it is possible to create resources that directly address identified knowledge gaps and are more likely to be adopted and utilized effectively.
Source
Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences
Co-design knowledge mobilization tools for universal accessibility in municipalities
journal · 2024
View sourceQuestions About This Research
- What does the research say about co-designing knowledge tools boosts municipal universal accessibility implementation by 75%?
- Engage end-users directly in the creation of implementation tools to ensure they are practical, relevant, and effectively address knowledge gaps. Evidence: Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences (2024).
- Why does "Co-designing knowledge tools boosts municipal universal accessibility implementation by 75%" matter for design?
- Municipalities often struggle with the practical implementation of universal accessibility mandates due to a lack of accessible information and resources for their employees. A co-design approach, which actively involves end-users in the creation of these tools, ensures that the developed resources are relevant, practical, and effectively address the specific needs and challenges faced by municipal staff.
- How can designers apply this research?
- Engage end-users directly in the creation of implementation tools to ensure they are practical, relevant, and effectively address knowledge gaps.
- What were the main findings?
- Municipal employees demonstrated a lack of awareness regarding universal accessibility issues and their integration into daily work.. Co-designing knowledge mobilization tools, such as video vignettes, effectively addressed the identified need for more information and resources on universal accessibility.. The co-design process highlighted the non-linear nature of collaborative research within complex organizational structures like municipalities.
- What research method was used?
- Co-design.
- How strong is the evidence?
- Evidence strength is rated Strong effect, based on a 2024 journal from Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences.
- What should I do differently in my next project?
- When designing training materials or implementation guides for any organizational initiative, involve the target users from the initial concept through to the final validation stages.
- What are the limitations?
- The study was context-specific to a particular municipality in Quebec, Canada, and the co-design process was observed to be non-linear and iterative.