Co-Creation Guide

for inclusive tool development

How can we bring together creative thinkers, makers, individuals with disabilities, and caregivers to collaboratively develop affordable and suitable assistive devices within inclusive teams?

The Concept

Drawing from the experiences gained over years of Open Health HACKademies by be able e.V. The concept involved crafting a guide with helpful tools, templates, and how-to videos. This enables you to embark on your own team journey, the co-creation journey, through a design sprint on the online whiteboard Miro

“The best assistive technology prototypes can be created when we put the future users at the center of the development process, work together to find ideas and test prototypes. In this way, we create low barrier solutions in an inclusive way.”

The Materials

This co-creation guide presents an exemplary design thinking-based workshop method for developing assistive technology innovations in an inclusive team with in around 6 weeks. 
This guide itself has been developed in a co-creation process by an inclusive team as an open source guide.

The Co-Creation guides, consists of templates and videos.

The goal is:

  • Foster inclusive collaboration: changing perspectives is central to the innovation process

  • Enhance competence in collaboration: different methods to develop your team spirit

  • Realise and implemente idea structured. Development of creativity and transferable performance through design thinking methods.

Guide in English and German

Templates

The Templates support the development process in a fun and interactive way and is based on the design thinking method and therefore goes through four phases:

  1. Understand the Problem

  2. Develop Idea

  3. Prototype & Test

  4. Document & Share

The development process consists of two strands: team development and product development. These are divided into different phases and steps and overlap during the process.

Accessibility: Most of the templates are available as accessible table versions. Information on how to work together with as few barriers as possible can be found in the description text for each template.

Input videos

In the videos the team and former participants of the Open Health HACKademies have prepared the best tips and information

The explainer videos are also available with subtitles and audio description.

Roadmap on Miro

The Co-Creation journey is supported by a Roadmap with all resources on Miro (Online-Whiteboard). Flexible in use to create om a design sprint or a longterm project check it out here

Social Media

"In my role with Match My Maker, I crafted a dynamic social media strategy to engage individuals with disabilities and the maker community. We showcased the collaborative efforts of inclusive teams in developing open-source solutions at the Open Health HACKademy and presented the Co-Creation Guide. Our strategy fostered dialogue and promoted broader accessibility in assistive tool development.

Responsibities and Learnings

I was part of the creation of the developement of the co-creation guide, applying experiences of theOpen Health HACKademie and the design-thinking principles to collaboratively guide to develop assistive tools.  Main task included creating adaptable materials and conducting testing. Creating the social media strategy and enhance the accessibility for various platforms, ensuring effective dissemination through social media and publication.