ABSTRACT
We are facing an era of social transformation from capitalist systems to more inclusive and sustainable ways of living. This is a call for action to shift design focus from profit maximisation to collaboration, inclusion, and engagement. De-centring design’s role as a profit maximiser for the capitalist economy, instead focusing it on creating social and environmental value, is crucial to overcoming the social and environmental challenges we face. Radical co-design is a new way of looking at design as collaborative practice that seeks radical changes that cherishes inclusion, diversity, respect for the environment, and different ways of perceiving and inhabiting the world. It is neither a bottom-up or top-down approach but a side-by-side way of working. This chapter proposes a design approach centred not just on people’s understanding as an empathetic exercise but as a model in which people collaborate, bringing their experiences, resources, and capabilities to the conversation.
