Co-creation with older adults in undergraduate design education: illustrative evidence from two Chilean cases in the Global South

Abstract

This study explores the role of co-creation with older adults in undergraduate design education in Chile using a multi-case illustrative design. Two educational experiences that incorporated participatory design approaches are examined: a short-term User-Centered Design (UCD) workshop and final-year Graduation Projects. Rather than testing for differential effects, the two cases are selected to show different dimensions of the same pedagogical phenomenon, participatory co-creation with older adults, across distinct points on a continuum of depth and duration. The research draws on open-ended surveys, semi-structured interviews, and project documentation from two universities, which are analyzed using interpretive thematic analysis. The findings are structured around three core dimensions: methodological learning, user engagement, and professional role transformation. The analysis reveals that brief co-creation experiences foster situated learning, empathy, and early shifts in students’ design identity, while sustained interactions in graduation projects highlight how deeper methodological appropriation, ethical reflection, and stronger professional repositioning as facilitators can emerge over time. By mapping both experiences onto the Double Diamond model, the study shows how participatory practices may be embedded at different stages of the design process. The inclusion of older adults as co-creators emerged as a critical factor for challenging ageist assumptions and expanding students’ relational and ethical competencies. This work contributes empirically grounded, situated evidence to the literature on design education in the Global South, where structural constraints, intergenerational care traditions, and the need for locally sensitive pedagogies distinguish these contexts from Northern models. It calls for institutional strategies that support co-creative learning environments, particularly in regions where intergenerational engagement remains underexplored in formal curricula.