A Structured Model for Designing and Evaluating Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Workshops

A Structured Model for Designing and Evaluating Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Workshops | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Structured Model for Designing and Evaluating Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Workshops Lucia Vazquez-Mendoza, Fergal Stapleton, Edgar Galván This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8950179/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Cross-disciplinary co-creation workshops are increasingly used to address complex societal challenges; however, their design and evaluation often lack methodological rigour and transparency. This scientific work introduces a structured and transferable model for designing and evaluating cross-disciplinary co-creation workshops, grounded in a three-layer architecture: (i) preparatory and contextual elements, (ii) workshop design and execution, and (iii) evaluation and reflection. The model explicitly integrates logistical planning, participant selection, facilitation strategies, artefact generation, and systematic evaluation through a Goal–Method alignment framework, thereby strengthening the validity and reproducibility of workshop-based research. The model is demonstrated through a case study entitled 'A Co-creation Workshop on Circular Economy in the Irish Construction Sector'. The workshop brought together diverse stakeholders from academia, industry, and policy to collaboratively explore barriers, solutions, and digital toolkits supporting circular economy adoption. Multiple data sources, including artefacts, observations, and extensive recorded discussions, enabled triangulated analysis of both processes and outcomes. Findings highlight the importance of intentional participant selection, structured facilitation, and artefact-mediated interaction in transforming disciplinary diversity into productive collaboration. By positioning workshops as rigorous research instruments rather than informal engagement activities, this work contributes a practical yet theoretically grounded framework to support future cross-disciplinary co-creation initiatives. Co-creation Sessions Traditional Information Serious Games Serious Play Metaphor Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Revision Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 08 May, 2026 Reviews received at journal 05 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 12 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 01 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 01 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 24 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 23 Feb, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8950179","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":599170263,"identity":"4b724f27-9aa1-4005-81d2-ced2000a8155","order_by":0,"name":"Lucia Vazquez-Mendoza","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABEElEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACPiA+gCoE4n4AYjYcWtiwamGcQUALGgBqYebB4zA2ieSHB34wHJaXb88xfPgzxyaP73j7w8+2OYcZ+NgbcGhJMzjYw3DYsLHnjbGB5La0YskzB5Klc7cdZmDjOYBDSw7DAR6GNMZmiRwzCcNthxM33Eg4ANEikYBTy8E/DGn2bRI55j8St/0Hakls/m0J0iL/AKeWwzwMNok9QFsYDm47ANSSzCbNCLYFh/d5nhkcljGwSZ7B86xYsnFbcuLMM8fYLHu3pfOw8WB3GD978uOPbyokbOe3J2/8+HObXWLf8fbHN35us5aTb8fufQgwABFoZuKLGhjA7oxRMApGwSgYBQwAe8hdIg3lrOUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Maynooth University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Lucia","middleName":"","lastName":"Vazquez-Mendoza","suffix":""},{"id":599170267,"identity":"938cfaab-3fa5-41f3-a1ab-5100c2e4dbce","order_by":1,"name":"Fergal Stapleton","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maynooth University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Fergal","middleName":"","lastName":"Stapleton","suffix":""},{"id":599170275,"identity":"8e7a9896-1f6b-49a2-84b2-b98867ae5b96","order_by":2,"name":"Edgar Galván","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Maynooth University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Edgar","middleName":"","lastName":"Galván","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-23 19:23:23","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8950179/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8950179/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":104401890,"identity":"fe0e4955-528c-4545-8c56-164a2df5d42e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-11 12:13:50","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":361452,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"2025SystematicReview.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8950179/v1_covered_6ead7670-7496-4b45-b7c1-71a8a47027a8.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Structured Model for Designing and Evaluating Cross-Disciplinary Co-Creation Workshops","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"systemic-practice-and-action-research","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"spaa","sideBox":"Learn more about [Systemic Practice and Action Research](http://link.springer.com/journal/11213)","snPcode":"11213","submissionUrl":"https://submission.nature.com/new-submission/11213/3","title":"Systemic Practice and Action Research","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Co-creation Sessions, Traditional Information, Serious Games, Serious Play, Metaphor","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8950179/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8950179/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Cross-disciplinary co-creation workshops are increasingly used to address complex societal challenges; however, their design and evaluation often lack methodological rigour and transparency. 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