Using Self-Determination Theory to Support Co-Design Activities

Co-design has become increasingly valued within a wide variety of businesses and institutions for its capacity to improve the design of products and services by involving end-users in the design process. Self-determination theory is ultimately a theory of human motivation. It asserts that three basic psychological needs (for autonomy, competence and relatedness) must be met in order to facilitate motivation and wellbeing. This paper links these two concepts and hypothesises that co-design is a successful methodology insofar as it is able to support the satisfaction of these three basic psychological needs.