The difference between co-design and consultation is primarily the role participants have in shaping the work and the decision rights the organisation is prepared to share.
Consultation has a legitimate but specific purpose
Consultation is useful when an organisation has a defined proposal and needs feedback, testing or evidence about likely effects. It should explain what is open to change and what is not.
Consultation becomes misleading when participants are invited to shape a decision that has already been made or when their contribution disappears without explanation.
Co-design starts earlier
Co-design can involve lived-experience contributors in defining the problem, framing priorities, developing options, testing prototypes and reviewing implementation. It requires time and a real pathway from contribution to decision.
Not every project can share every decision. Clear boundaries are part of genuine co-design: participants should know what they can influence, who decides and how the final outcome will be explained.
The practical test
Ask three questions: what can participants change, when can they change it, and what will happen if the organisation does not accept the recommendation? Honest answers help determine whether consultation or co-design is the appropriate description.
Both approaches need accessibility, preparation, payment, safe facilitation and a closing feedback loop.