Systemic design is an interdiscipline
Systemic design is a pluralistic field
History and development
Origins in design methods movement
Systems thinking in design has historical roots in the
design methods movement of the 1960s and 1970s.
Horst Rittel's concept of "
wicked problems"
and Christopher Alexander's
pattern language represented early attempts to address systemic complexity in design. Buckminster Fuller's
Design Science proposed design as a systemic discipline for addressing global challenges.
The Ulm School of Design and the broader design methods movement explored connections between systems theory and design practice, though these early attempts often emphasized rationalistic approaches that were later critiqued by designers.
Contemporary emergence
The contemporary articulation of systemic design as a distinct interdiscipline emerged in the 2010s, drawing on renewed interest in
Complex system,
sustainability, and participatory design practices. Multiple academic institutions and research groups began developing systemic design programs and methodologies, often independently but with shared concerns about addressing complex adaptive systems and social complexity.
In 2013, the term "systemic design" was proposed to distinguish the broader field from specific methodological approaches like systems-oriented design, allowing for pluralistic development of the interdiscipline.
Theoretical foundations
Systems thinking integration
Systemic design integrates concepts from multiple traditions of systems thinking. From soft systems methodology, it adopts attention to multiple stakeholder perspectives and acknowledgment of conflicting worldviews.
Critical systems thinking provides frameworks for boundary critique and methodological pluralism.
From second-order cybernetics, systemic design incorporates recognition of the observer's role in system definition and the recursive nature of design interventions.<
Complexity theory
Systemic design addresses complex adaptive systems, acknowledging that many contemporary design challenges involve
emergence,
nonlinearity, and
feedback loops. Drawing on complexity theory,
systemic designers recognize that interventions in complex systems can have unintended consequences and that system behavior emerges from relationships between components rather than from components in isolation.
Design theory
Systemic design maintains distinctly design-oriented characteristics including abductive reasoning,
prototyping, visualization, and iterative development.
This distinguishes it from systems engineering and other rationalistic approaches to system design, emphasizing creativity, human experience, and the situated nature of design practice.
Approaches and methodologies
Systems-oriented design
Systems-oriented design (SOD), developed by Birger Sevaldson at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, emphasizes designerly approaches to systems thinking. Key methods include gigamapping (large-scale visual systems mapping), rich design space exploration, and integration of qualitative and quantitative research methods.
Sustainability-focused approaches
The Politecnico di Torino developed systemic design methodologies focused on environmental sustainability and
circular economy, analyzing material flows, energy systems, and territorial relationships.
This approach emphasizes industrial ecology, waste as resource, and regenerative design principles.
Other approaches
Additional variations include frameworks focused on
service design,
,
organizational change, and transition design.
Methods and practices
Systemic design employs diverse methods adapted from both systems thinking and design practice:
Systems analysis and mapping:
-
Causal loop diagrams
-
Stakeholder mapping
-
Gigamapping and
-
System dynamics modeling
-
Network analysis
Designerly methods:
Hybrid approaches:
-
Systems-oriented visualization practices
-
Synthesis mapping
-
Transition pathways design
-
System intervention design
Applications
Systemic design has been applied across multiple domains:
Healthcare: Redesigning patient pathways, addressing public health challenges, improving care coordination
Urban planning: Addressing mobility, housing, and urban metabolism
Sustainability: Circular economy implementation, sustainable food systems, industrial symbiosis
Public policy: Participatory budgeting, policy innovation, democratic processes
Organizational change: Business model innovation, organizational restructuring, strategic planning
Academic programs and research groups
Multiple universities worldwide offer programs and courses in systemic design or related approaches:
-
Politecnico di Torino: Master of Science in Systemic Design
-
Oslo School of Architecture and Design: Systems Oriented Design programs
-
OCAD University: Strategic Foresight and Innovation (incorporates systemic design)
-
Georgetown University: Communication, Culture & Technology
-
National Institute of Design (India): Systems Thinking and Design
-
Université de Montréal: Design and Complexity
Research groups and centers include the Systemic Design Lab
Academic discourse is supported by scholarly organizations including the Systemic Design Association, which organizes the annual Relating Systems Thinking and Design symposium and publishes the journal Contexts—The Systemic Design Journal.
Publications
Since 2014 several scholarly journals have acknowledged systemic design with special publications, and in 2022, the Systemic Design Association launched "
Contexts—The Journal of Systemic Design." The proceedings repository, Relating Systems Thinking and Design, exceeded 1000 articles in 2023.
| + Special Publications |
|
| Birger Sevaldson, Alex J. Ryan |
| Peter Jones |
| Jodi Forlizzi, Birger Sevaldson, Alex Ryan |
| Birger Sevaldson |
| Peter Jones |
| Michael Ulrich Hensel, Defne Sunguroğlu Hensel, Birger Sevaldson |
| Birger Sevaldson, Peter Jones |
| Marie Davidova, Ben Sweeting, Birger Sevaldson |
| Silvia Barbero, Amina Pereno |
| J. Tuomas Harviainen, Josina Vink |
| Kidjie Saguin, Benjamin Cashore |
Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD)
Since 2012, host organisations have held an annual symposium dedicated to systemic design, Relating Systems Thinking and Design (RSD). Proceedings are available via the searchable repository on RSDsymposium.org.
| + RSD Symposia |
|
| Rivers of Conversations |
| Entangled in Emergence |
Possibilities and Practices |
Playing with Tensions |
| Systemic Design for Well-Being |
| Complex Spaces of Innovation |
| Challenging Complexity |
Flourishing Together |
| Systemic Design for Social Complexity |
| Developing a Systemic Design Research Network |
| Relating Systems Thinking and Design |
| The Systemic Design Movement |
| Seminar: Relating Systems Thinking and Design |
See also
External links
