This is the Audience Centred Experience Design (ACED) blueprint, devised by the Adeste partnership to help cultural organisations create experiences with and for their audiences, visitors or participants.
It helps cultural organisations to become more sustainable, relevant and inclusive, using a step-by-step process co-designed by the Adeste+ partnership. Alongside explanations of each stage, there are examples, templates and case studies as well as further reading and links to other resources which explain how the blueprint works.
The process can be followed through each step or by dipping into the resources we have recommended. Find out what worked well for us – or not! – and share your experience and ideas so that the model can be continually improved.
ACED is a simple process co-created and tested with cultural institutions to give people a greater say in what they do, designing experiences that resonate with the public and make the most of their team’s creativity. ACED was devised as a guided process but can be followed by organisations independently with a nominated programme facilitator or change-maker.
ACED is a blueprint for change. It enables organisations to change the way they work with the public and become confident innovators in the process. Funded by the European Commission, Adeste+ aims to trigger more innovative approaches to audience development and participatory practice.
Our research into innovation practice and cultural organisations highlighted the importance of modelling inside the organisation the change you want to see outside, among your users, stakeholders and visitors. In other words being inclusive begins at home. In the wash-up of their first ACED cycle, the task force at The Mercury Theatre really picked up on this factor.
From Adeste+ Summer School 2020 talk by Macarena Cuenca, University of Deusto.
Check these resources for specially adapted and created tools, more information about our experiences, advice from elsewhere and the theories behind ACED.
