Processes Underpinning Successful Co-Design: Lessons From a Digital Health Project

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Co-design Methodology
• Stroke Prevention

Background:

• Co-design enhances research alignment with end-user needs but lacks standardized reporting methods.
• This study shares experiences in co-designing the Love Your Brain digital platform for stroke prevention.
• Key attributes evaluated include recruitment, focus group coordination, participant engagement, and satisfaction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To report on the co-design process and evaluation of the Love Your Brain digital platform.
• To identify core attributes guiding the co-design approach.
• To assess participant engagement and satisfaction in a digital health co-design project.

Main Methods:

• Conducted fortnightly online co-design focus groups with health experts and community members (8 sessions/cohort).
• Employed snowballing and purposive sampling for recruitment in Australia.
• Measured engagement via attendance, survey feedback, and contribution analysis; satisfaction through surveys and final focus group.

Main Results:

• 10 health experts and 12 community members (9 with stroke lived experience) participated.
• Participant engagement was high (86% attended ≥5/8 sessions), enhanced by structured groups and facilitators.
• High participant satisfaction reported, with contributions visibly incorporated into the final platform.

Conclusions:

• Successful co-design of digital health projects hinges on coordination, participant engagement, and satisfaction.
• Adequate resourcing is crucial for effective co-design implementation.
• Valuing participant input and demonstrating its incorporation fosters high satisfaction and engagement.