The African Co-design Academy is a two-day summer school focused on exploring co-design approaches and best practices, with a particular emphasis on the African context. The academy aims to enhance participants’ knowledge of co-design, share exemplary approaches to co-design in Africa, foster networking opportunities, establish connections between African SIGCHI chapters, and encourage collaboration among African researchers and students in HCI and related disciplines.

The event will take place on November 26th and 27th 2023, in East London, South Africa, co-located with AfriCHI 2023. We will accommodate approximately 18 participants.

Updates:

Presentations from the African Co-Design Academy

  • Community-Based Co-Design PDF by Heike Winschiers-Theophilus
  • Co-Design Readiness PDF by Sarina Till
  • Bring Your Critical Gear to Your Co-Design projects PDF by Shaimaa Lazem
  • (Participatory) Speculative Design PDF by Naveen Bagalkot
  • Games as Co-Design Techniques PDF by Joana Couto Silva
  • Qualitative Data Analysis PDF by Beatriz Félix
  • Building and Sustaining a Community Research Project PDF by Thulani Ngubane

Other materials

  • Handbook with agenda and preparatory readings PDF

Objectives

  • Familiarise participants with co-design methods, with examples from work conducted in the African context;
  • Briefly experiment with co-design approaches, through hands-on exercises and projects;
  • Promote discussion and knowledge exchange among participants and between African SIGCHI chapters.

Contents and organisation

During the first day, participants will be introduced to community-based co-design, communication and collaboration in co-design, and co-design readiness. We will also present tools and techniques to engage participants, including speculative design, games as co-design tools, design cards, or other traditional community-based approaches. Participants will be able to experiment with these techniques in a small group project focused on creating a communication/collaboration tool for African HCI researchers. 

During the second day, participants will continue working in small groups in their project. In parallel, we will encourage reflection on ethical issues, sharing with participants some obstacles that have appeared in the field, and inviting them to think about how to develop or build trust with the communities to then ensure the sustainability of collaborations with community partners.

Target audience

  • Students in HCI and related disciplines (PhD, advanced post-graduate)
  • Postdocs
  • Early career researchers

Lecturers

  • Alastair Van Heerden, University of Witwatersrand & Human Sciences Research Council
  • Beatriz Félix, Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS
  • Bill Tucker, Stellenbosch University
  • Joana Couto Silva, Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS
  • Heike Winschiers-Theophilus, Namibia University of Science & Technology
  • Melissa Densmore, University of Cape Town
  • Naveen Bagalkot, Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education
  • Nervo Verdezoto, Cardiff University
  • Shaimaa Lazem, City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications
  • Sarina Till, Independent Institute of Education & University of Cape Town
  • Thulani Ngubane, Human Sciences Research Council

Registration and funding support

The summer school is free, but registration is required until October 15th, 2023.

Meals and refreshments will be offered during the summer school to all participants. Moreover, we will offer 8-10 scholarships to support the travel and accommodation of participants.

Contact

For doubts and clarifications about the summer school, please send an email to beatriz.felix AT fraunhofer.pt and ctill AT varsitycollege.co.za.

The African Co-Design Academy acknowledges the support from the SIGCHI Development Fund, The Independent Institute of Education, and the ParentCoach project.