Developing and Validating the Co-Creation Rainbow Framework: Assessing Whether Methods Enact Co-Creation Characteristics in a Mixed-Methods Health CASCADE Study

Abstract

Introduction: Empowerment, participation, collective creativity, collective intelligence, and decision-making are recognized as essential characteristics of co-creation. The operationalization of these characteristics relies on consideration of whether the methods employed in the process truly enact them. This requires a framework to guide the selection and comparison of methods.

Methods: We conducted a systematic screening and extraction of features from established models and frameworks that aligned with co-creation characteristics. This was followed by iterative testing to identify key features for differentiating methods, which were then incorporated into an integrated framework. The framework was subsequently validated by 12 co-creation researchers using the closed card sort method. To further refine the framework, the researchers reflected on the sorting outcomes and framework usability in a qualitative feedback form.

Results: This study created a framework called the Co-Creation Rainbow framework. It is composed of an Individual-to-Collective Continuum, five sections (Informing, Understanding, Stimulating, Collaborating, and Collective Decision-making), and three themes (Engage, Participate, and Empower). Our analysis of the closed card sorting results demonstrates the researchers successfully sorted 70% (n=436) of the methods into the framework. Additional assessment of the sorted methods uncovered a notable disparity in how researchers and practitioners engage in co-creation, particularly concerning the methods they employ.

Conclusions: The Co-Creation Rainbow framework places methods at the core of co-creation, enabling researchers and practitioners to plan, assess, and report on their processes in a structured, evidence-based manner. Acknowledging the diverse nature of co-creation, the framework emphasizes the absence of a one-size-fits-all approach, highlighting variations in collaboration depth and breadth among methods. Offering a structured language for the diverse methods used in co-creation establishes a scaffolding for comparing methods in a way that fosters transparency about the authenticity of co-creative endeavours.