Over the past few decades, key studies have highlighted the benefits and challenges of co-design, emphasizing its potential to generate creativity, improve research quality, and deliver user-centered outcomes. However, formalizing co-design as a research method and establishing a unified framework for its application remains a challenge. This book addresses these issues by introducing and expanding the concept of Research Through Co-Design (RTC).

This book offers an insightful examination of how co-design can revolutionize research practices across various fields. It introduces a cognitive model for RTC that is grounded in the Control System Theory (CST) and integrates elements from Research Through Design (RTD). Bringing together contributions from 41 authors across 13 nations, this title provides a collection of cross-disciplinary perspectives and experiences that covers STEM, design research, and the third or social economy sector. The 23 chapters showcase diverse applications and reveal the potential of co-design in producing knowledge and valuable insights and methodologies that can enhance research practices. By highlighting theoretical frameworks and practical case studies, the book illustrates how RTC can be effectively utilized in various academic and professional contexts.

The reader will gain a thorough understanding of RTC and how it can be utilized across multiple disciplines and settings. Exploring Research Through Co-Design: Multiple Perspectives for Collaborative Inquiry is an essential resource for researchers, academics, and students who are interested in leveraging co-design as a research strategy, including those in human factors and ergonomics fields, design thinking/engineering, social economy projects and other multidisciplinary tasks.

Daniele Busciantella Ricci is an Assistant Professor within the University of Florence's Department of Architecture, Italy. He has over a decade of experience in design research, participatory design, and social innovation and has collaborated with institutions and communities worldwide. His research focuses on design for social inclusion and innovation, working in labs like IDEE and DRLab. He frequently participates in international conferences and has published extensively on design. Ricci co-founded Codesign Toscana and is a member of the Design Research Society and the Italian Society of Ergonomics and Human Factors. He received the European Commission's Seal of Excellence.

Sofia Scataglini is a Biomedical Engineer and Visiting Professor at Antwerp University, Belgium, specializing in Digital Human Modelling (DHM) and wearables for ergonomics and health. She holds the title of European Ergonomist (Eur.Erg.), CREE. Sofia is a member of the International Ergonomics Association's (IEA) Scientific Committee and chairs the IEA Technical Committee on DHM and Simulation. She founded the Digital Human Modeling by Women (DHMW) group and organizes conferences on human factors and ergonomics. She is an active editor, writer, and reviewer and her research focuses on designing health and well-being products using Co-Design and User-Centered Design methods.