The role of expertise in design facilitation practice: A systematic review

Many organisations are now adopting design across their systems to drive innovation, leading to the emergence of new professional design roles, requiring the implementation of design methods and facilitation of design processes. However, rarely do studies draw together the specific expertise required for design facilitation. To address this gap, we present a systematic literature review of empirical research, following a PRISMA framework, focusing on what has been established and the methodological research approaches used to characterise the role of expertise in facilitating design interventions. The paper conceptualises design facilitation expertise as emerging from the continuous interaction between the facilitator’s individual agency and the practice architectures that shape the facilitation environment, emphasising its generative and co-constructed nature. This reconceptualisation highlights the need for facilitation expertise to be understood as an evolving and situated practice, shaping how facilitation is researched, taught, and developed across design education and professional practice.