PURPOSE MODEL - Visual Method for Mutual Understanding in Co-creation Projects

Abstract

This paper develops a new visual communication method for mutual understanding in Co-creation projects, the Purpose Model, and discusses its effectiveness. To create the tool, 30 cases of Co-creation projects were investigated and four elements of sustainable and better Co-creation projects were extracted. We also summarized seven items used in several tools for visualizing stakeholders used in the areas of project management and service design. Following these elements as well, a new model is proposed to visualize Co-creation and promote mutual understanding among concerned persons. The features of this style are that it focuses on the ‘common purpose’, which is important for Co-creation projects, and that it can be used for fixed-point observation by writing in the same format, including changes from the initial, ambiguous stage. In the process of devising the Purpose Model, the needs for communication tools in projects involving multiple stakeholders were identified, while disseminating the information on SNS and providing toolkits and web tools as open source. As examples of use in actual projects, I introduce the use of the tool in the kick-off of a Living Laboratory for public-private-academic collaboration in a smart city, and its use in communication within and between teams in a commercial facility involving citizens in a redevelopment project.