Co-design in the age of COVID: designing online workshops for people with dementia

Co-design is an important trialled and trusted method for Qualitative Data collection for decades. By allowing users direct input and influence in all stages of the design process, you can unlock solutions not considered by experts alone. Traditionally Co-design relies heavily on in-person workshops and the use of physical artefacts though many of these techniques having to be abandoned during the COVID pandemic.

Dementia was first identified 115 years ago but despite this many studies often lack the involvement of People with Dementia in research. They are often relegated to the end testing phases especially when it comes to technology. Hurdles such as researcher preconception, cognitive inability, difficulties with focus and unfamiliarity with technology can often exclude People with Dementia from contributing more to studies online.