Boundary objects for systemic insight: Relational and embodied Systemic Co-Design case studies

Relational negotiation, contextual adaptation, and reflective exchanges between designers and non-designers are central to how boundary objects shape knowledge creation and systemic insight in Systemic Co-Design (SCD) practice. Building on the ESCollab publication, this study examines two embodied SCD cases, the MelkSalon and the Co-Design Canvas, that foreground sensory, experiential, and artefact-based engagement. Using complementary theoretical lenses, we explore how these boundary objects function as embodied mediators of boundary framing between designers and non-designers. The findings indicate that boundary objects are most effective when they are deeply grounded in contextual and cultural realities, foster emotional engagement and trust, and afford adaptive participation and negotiation, enabling collaborative meaning-making and systemic change. Replicability, scalability, sustained facilitation, contextual sensitivity, and participant readiness remain critical conditions for impact. Deeper co-ownership and transformation occur when SCD boundary objects are designed and used as embodied, pluralistic, and reflexive “boundary experiences,” rather than falling into technical templates.