Creating Stronger Design Systems for Collaboration: Skills, Resources, and Practices Needed to Support an Effective Co-Design Experience

Abstract

This paper describes a design case that addressed a healthcare training need for clinicians and administrators about Value-Based Care (VBC) through the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of seven massive open online courses (MOOCs). The context was an industry-academic partnership that linked subject matter experts in VBC with university faculty and designers. Courses were developed using a co-design approach to provide multiple perspectives on the issues involved, ensure the accuracy of the content, and enhance the alignment between the design and stakeholders’ needs. The team worked collaboratively to define the opportunity, brainstorm ideas, prototype solutions, evaluate prototypes based on identified needs, and ultimately design online educational experiences for a wide variety of learners in different healthcare contexts. This paper shares lessons learned about creating stronger design systems for collaboration in the areas of selecting and supporting co-design teams, fostering collaborative learning environments, and modeling collaboration in the instructional design process. Reflections about this design case underscored the importance of forming relationships among team members, which was a key outcome of the co-design structure and, facilitated the communication and psychological safety needed to support the iterative cycles of feedback during course development.