Fruitful Gaps in Digital Literacy: Interpreting gaps in digital literacy among stakeholders in collaborative design research projects as an evolving innovative capacity

This paper explores the dilemma of assessing shared value from collaborative design research projects through the lens of evolving digital literacy. Through mapping a seven-year co-design case study, based on multiple collaborative design research interventions in the same organisational practice at the Danish aqua zoo ‘The North Sea Oceanarium’. The development of contextual literacy is identified as an important dimension when discussing co-design, but also an issue in which the stakeholders rarely will reach equal literacy. However, we argue this gap is not a fault of co-design, but rather an indicator of a gradual mutual increase in innovative capacity among project stakeholders. We argue that the gaps in digital literacy, which may initially be seen as an inhibitor, might evolve to one of the strongest value propositions of collaborative design research projects within the broader area of interest; design of digital media systems.