Common Principles
Bottom Up as well as Top Down
Social design considers both duty holders (those who have a paid duty of care to the issue being addressed) and stakeholders (those who have a stake in the issue being addressed). This approach realises that design for social need is best delivered in collaboration.
Collaboration
Complex design scenarios require the combined skills and experiences of many different people.
User-led (Actor led)
Social design requires the involvement of those in the design process that use the products or services to ensure that the results are appropriate.
Iterative
Social design should respond to evolving needs and contexts. As these considerations change so the products and services must evolve too. An iterative approach acknowledges the need and opportunity for constant improvement. Co-design processes require the involvement of different people with different discourses. Iterative prototyping of proposed solutions in collaboration with stakeholders enables appropriate design solutions to be evolved through practice.