Conclusion: Co-creating Inclusive Digital Futures

The first and positive conclusion—relating to the governing of co-creation and the sharing of control—is that co-creation is indeed an appropriate method to develop digital public information services that meet the needs of older users and achieve an output that is better than existing, comparable services. The second conclusion—relating to the sharing of expertise and knowledge—is that the co-creation of digital services works well with older adults, including those with little or no digital literacy skills. However, the performance and achievements of co-creation processes seem highly contingent and dependent on several factors. The third conclusion—relating to enabling change—is that not every digital public service is equally suited for co-creation. A lasting social as well as individual change can only be implemented if the resulting service does indeed respond to the needs of local stakeholders. Co-creation may become a way to improve the lack of user-centricity and user experience of digital public information services. However, there is no guarantee for its success. It is a complex multi-task and multi-stakeholder process, more demanding than traditional citizen participation. Due to the openness and complexity inherent to any co-creation process, providing strict guidelines and recommendations is not possible. However, the learning points identified in this book provide evidence on ways to co-create better, more user-centric public services with and for older adults.