(CO-)DESIGN THROUGH TRUST: A Dynamic and Relational Approach to Collective Design Practice with Communities

In the face of ongoing socio-ecological crises, systemic change is required at multiple scales, demanding transdisciplinary and collaborative efforts. Design, a field that shapes the products, services, systems, and environments that structure everyday life, plays a vital role in this transformation. Accordingly, socially responsible design (SRD) has long been driven by ethical and moral concerns, prompting designers to critically reflect on their role and how to “do good” through their work. As collaboration is fundamental to addressing complex problems, collective design practices (CDP)—encompassing co-design, participatory design, and co-creation are central to SRD. Nevertheless, the “decolonial turn” in design highlights how mainstream CDP, although aimed at empowering individuals and communities, can often inadvertently reproduce embedded hierarchies and assumptions about knowledge, expertise, and participation. This critique becomes especially relevant in contexts shaped by colonial histories and cultural plurality—such as Arctic and circumnorthern regions, where Indigenous and Western societies intersect. It is within this setting that this study explores how designers might reimagine their engagement with communities and with Indigenous Peoples in particular. From this perspective, this study asks: How can designers foster ethical and meaningful collaborations in collective design practice (CDP) with communities?<br/><br/>The research hypothesis, according to which prioritizing the co-construction of interpersonal relationships and trust plays a key role in developing ethical and meaningful design projects with communities, centred on the significance of the relationships and trust in CDP with Indigenous Peoples. Surprisingly, although trust is central to society and human relationships, it has been overlooked in design research and practice. Adopting the premise that trust is a process rather than fixed state, this research uses a systemic constructivist lens to explore the dynamic of trust in collective design practice (CDP) as an inherently relational phenomenon. The main objective of the study is to create new knowledge relevant to design practice, education, and research, exploring ways to engage in CDP that create positive change.<br/><br/>With an abductive approach and practice-led methodology, the study explores this topic through two international projects that took place in 2020–2022: (a) Dialogues and Encounters in the Arctic (DEA), set in an Sámi context with institutional partners from Finland and Sweden; and (b) Solutions for Engaging and Empowering Youth with Trans-Atlantic Mirroring (SEEYouth), a project concerned with marginalized youth involving partners from Brazil, the UK, Canada, and Finland. Using a research through design strategy, these projects are key to generating new understandings that stem from practice, focusing on stimulating reflection-on-action. In addition to the project activities, qualitative material (interviews, workshops, group discussion, reflective logs) was collected from a total of 25 project collaborators with diverse cultural and professional backgrounds—including both Indigenous and Non-Indigenous participants.<br/><br/>The theoretical framework draws from the systemic and complexity paradigm, Indigenous relational perspectives, core processes in collaboration, and the specificities of design to construct a model displaying the dynamic and relational dimensions of CDP. This model emerges from the study’s abductive approach, with understanding stemming from cycles of interplay between theory and fieldwork. Furthermore, the findings highlight how the dynamic of trust concerns more than interpersonal relationships, enriching the initial comprehension of relationality in CDP. Indeed, they reveal the dynamic of trust is shaped by and evolves in relation to other interwoven dimensions: the organising project, inter/intrapersonal relationships, acquired wisdom, and contexts. Moreover, the findings shed light on how the dynamic of trust organises on three interconnected levels: trust in oneself, trust in others, and trust as an atmosphere. This study argues that designers can intentionally nurture this dynamic through specific actions particularly in two key areas: the organisation of the project and the organisation of relationships. For example, they can establish horizontal and reciprocal relationship structures, ground the project in local contexts, co-develop the project (purpose, vision), develop and use soft skills, adopt a fluid and agile leadership style, and support positive attitudes. The findings underscore that real collaboration is no easy task.<br/><br/>While the fieldwork is predominantly based on working with Indigenous Peoples, the concepts of trust and relationships transcend specific domains and disciplines. As such, the findings may resonate with those engaged in sensitive project contexts, as well as designers striving for more meaningful collaboration with the communities they work with, including but not limited to Indigenous Peoples. A dynamic and relational approach to design is argued to be a strategy for fostering ethical and meaningful collaboration, advocating for a shift from an object-centred design approach to a relationship-centred one. The study also underlines the significance of designers engaging in reflexivity and having awareness of their positionality in regard to the contexts in which they intervene. By presenting a dynamic and relational approach to CDP, this study expands on avenues for the development of SRD in design practice, design research, and design education.

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