Public Collaboration Lab Research structure

Funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council the Public Collaboration Lab began as an 18 month participatory action research project in 2015-16. The project explored the question: ‘How can design education and local government work together to improve outcomes for citizens?’

It developed a prototype that was:

– A model for a way of working that could be trialled and tested
– A space for experiential learning and experimentation
– A space for learning together by doing together

It aimed to:

– Increase understanding of design universities’ role in supporting innovation practices within local government, through design-led action research
– Explore the potential for co-designing to democratize public service and policy innovation and improve public outcomes
– Evaluate the role and impact of design in local government service reform
– Propose means by which effective practices might be scaled up and scaled out within other contexts

The research was delivered across five work packages that structured research activities as shown in this illustration.