Types, obstacles and sources of empowerment in co-design: the role of shared material objects and processes

Figures & data

Figure 1. Cross-pollination materials

Figure 2. Different art installations representing communities that have great health

Figure 3. Left: The Scaling up network after the first cross-pollination workshop. Right: The network 12 months after the first cross-pollination workshop. Blue nodes are CSOs connected to the original project, red are universities, pink are communities, green are community projects, and grey are organisations, companies or communities that had no connection with the research project but contributed to the emerging community projects

Figure 4. Asset mapping exercise

Table 1. Summary of different manifestations (types) of empowerment together with observed obstacles and associated sources of empowerment

	Conditions of empowerment
Manifestations (types) of empowerment	Obstacles to empowerment	Sources for empowerment
Capacity to bring to the fore one’s own issues and practices and influence the design task (power over)	Hidden Boundaries Obstacle is the untold or hidden boundaries of different social worlds that create ‘power over’ dynamics	a) Material objects and processes that provide the means for each individual within and across social groups to actively reflect and share their own boundaries (ways of working, values, priorities and concerns) b) Material objects and processes that approach cooperation as a possible output rather than a starting point
Capacity to make sense of one’s own matters of concern, frame design problems and develop design solutions (power to)	Lack of multi-modal expression Obstacle is the lack of opportunities to accommodate different ways of expression and knowing	Material objects and processes that provide multi-modal communication within and across different social worlds by making, enacting and telling
Capacity to act in concert with others (power with)	Socio-political isolation Obstacle is the social and political isolation and socio-political environments that lack the infrastructures (e.g. public spaces, events) and the culture (i.e. the norms, processes and practices) to encourage cooperative action	Material objects and processes that help social worlds grow their socio-political networks and create connections that can be turned into partnerships
Capacity to unearth and mobilise existing assets (power within)	Lack of self-awareness Obstacle is the difficulty for individuals and social groups to share an understanding of how interests, practices, values and resources are connected	Material objects and processes that allow social groups to reflect, represent and mobilise the underlying structures and assets that bring people together, including their skills, values, practices, connections to others and resources.