By David Wright, Team Lead, Business Analysis & Change

When we think about successful product delivery, we often focus on speed, efficiency, and technical innovation. But there’s one factor that quietly plays a powerful role behind the scenes—and it doesn’t require fancy tools or a huge budget.

It’s co-design.

Co-design is a collaborative approach that brings the right people together to shape a product with the end user in mind. And when done well, it can mean the difference between a product that works and a product that works for people.

In this blog, I’ll break down what co-design really means, why it’s so effective, how to put it into action, and the risks of leaving it out of your process.

What Is co-design?

At its core, co-design means building a product with people—not just for them.

It’s a collaborative process that involves key stakeholders, customers, and team members from day one. The aim? To ensure that everyone involved shares a common goal and contributes their insight toward designing something meaningful and effective.

But here’s the catch:

For co-design to work, the people in the room need to:

• Have a genuine stake in the product’s success

• Be motivated to build the right thing—not just the fastest thing

• Be open, empathetic, and customer-focused

• Be aligned on the shared goal from the start

If even one stakeholder isn’t on the same page, the process can lose momentum fast.

Why the end goal matters

The goal of co-design isn’t simply to deliver a product—it’s to deliver a product that meets real user needs.

This means:

• Doing regular user research

• Incorporating user acceptance testing (UAT) along the way

• Staying open to feedback, even when it challenges your assumptions

Let’s say your team is building a sleek job application system for external candidates. If you haven’t spoken to any real candidates during development, how confident are you that the experience is genuinely user-friendly?

Chances are, without co-design, that confidence is lower than it should be.

Key benefits of co-design

Here’s why co-design is such a game-changer for product delivery:

✅ Real insights, not assumptions

You’re not guessing what users want—you’re asking them.

✅ Clearer priorities

Feedback helps you focus on the features and functions that matter most.

✅ More efficient development

You avoid costly redesigns and rework because you’re building with the right input from the start.

✅ Stronger innovation

Diverse perspectives open the door to fresh, creative solutions that might never surface in siloed teams.

One of my favourite quotes comes from Michelle McGaughey, Digital Transformation Architect at Queen’s University Belfast:

"Analysts and architects will have their hands tied if stakeholders don’t have the time or inclination to collaborate on the design, answer questions when they arise, and get to know the system under development by engaging in user acceptance testing.

A simple framework: The Double Diamond

One effective method for co-design is the Double Diamond framework. It’s easy to follow and keeps everyone aligned throughout the product lifecycle.

Here’s how it works:

🔹 Discover

Speak with users and stakeholders to deeply understand their needs.

🔹 Define

Refine what you’ve learned into a clear problem statement. What exactly needs solving?

🔹 Develop

Create potential solutions and gather feedback early and often.

🔹 Deliver

Build, test, and iterate based on the insight you’ve gained along the way.

It’s called the Double Diamond because it expands and contracts twice—once to explore the problem and once to explore the solution.

What happens if you skip co-design?

Leaving co-design out of the equation can lead to:

• Misaligned priorities

• Features that don’t serve real needs

• Wasted time and budget

• Products that fail to resonate with users

In short, without co-design, you risk building something for your customer—but not with them.

The good news? It’s never too late to start. Even small steps—like stakeholder workshops, feedback sessions, or early user testing—can open the door to more collaborative, customer-focused product development.

And if you need a name to drop while convincing your team to give it a try… I’ll take the credit!

Final thoughts

Co-design isn’t just a buzzword. It’s a practical, powerful approach to delivering better products—ones that are more usable, more relevant, and more likely to succeed.

When you bring people together with a shared goal and listen deeply to your users, the results speak for themselves.

So, the next time you’re starting a new project, ask yourself:

• Have we brought the right people into the room?

• Are we making assumptions, or are we learning from real users?

• Are we designing something with our audience in mind?

Because true success doesn’t happen in isolation—it happens together.