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Systemic Design Toolkit
A Brief Workshop
Peter Jones, Ph.D. from OCAD University,Toronto

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for system-level design & change

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seenasadesignprocess

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Human-centred system design
for complexity

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integrates systems thinking and
human-centred design with the
intention of helping designers cope
with complex problems.
Complex societal problems are owned
by people other than designers. So we
are always helping committed
stakeholders cope with their world.
Systemic Design
Systems
thinking
Design
thinking
Systemic
design

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• Nonlinear relationships
• Multiple levels & perspectives, purpose driven
• Dialogue for collective learning
• Working with leverage points
• Open ended, shaping the conditions for change
• Stimulating self-adaptation
Systems thinking
focuses on the whole
Systems
thinking
R
B
S
P

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• People-centric
• Hands-on, co-creative,cross-disciplinary
• Structured problem the solving process
• Evidencing to foster dialogue
• Prototyping, testing,iterating to learn and
improve
Design thinking
Focuses on the parts
Design
thinking

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Designed to establish a dialogue for
understanding and solving complex issues.
• The toolkit is intended to be used in co-creation
workshops, with stakeholders.
• The tools help participants to ask effective
questions, to build a common mental model of
the system problem, & to generate innovative
interventions.
A systemic toolkit
Why?

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How did we get here? (system)
• Framing:who and what is
involved?
• Listening:what are the most
influencing factors?
• Understanding:what is
causing the behavior?
Methodology
The ideal future at the core
Ideal future and purpose
How do we get there? (design)
• Exploring:what are the
leverage possibilities?
• Designing:how can we
intervene?
• Fostering: how can we care
about the transition?

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Framing
the System
Step 1

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• Defining the initial boundaries
• Understanding the necessity for change
• Identifying the actual and future stakeholders
• Identifying the emerging initiatives
(new ways of doing)
Step 1
Framing the system

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Boundaries are recognizable by
the structure of the (eco-)system
• Same purpose
• Same geographical location
• Shared processes
• Interdependencies and lines of influence
Be open to a participatory process of unfolding
and questioning boundary judgments
Framing the system
Technique:Boundaries

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What is the context of the issue?
• Landscape: long term trends
• Why is the issue rising?
• Regime:current ways of doing
• How is the client/society currently dealing with it?
• Niches: emerging alternative ways of doing
• What are the new, innovative ways of dealing with it?
Framing the system
Tool:Rich context
Inspired by FW Geels – “Processes and patterns in transitions and system innovations”

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What is the ideal future we have in mind?
• What do we want to achieve?
• What are the benefits we want to provide?
• What is driving the change?
• What are the barriers?
• Who is solving this already in a novel way?
• What capacities can we build upon?
• What is our design challenge at this stage?
Framing the system
Tool:Ideal(ized) future

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Who is acting in the system and thus creating
the behaviour?
• Who are the main actors in the system?
• Power/knowledge?
• What is the nature of the interactions?
An actor can also be a non-human agent
Framing the system
Tool:Actors map
Inspired by “conflict analyses” from GSDRC and
the Nesta discussion paper ‘systems innovation’

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Who are the most extreme stakeholders?
• Extreme needs and drives
• Extreme interactions
• Extreme perspectives
• Extreme interests
…
Actors (people, organisations)
Other stakeholders (potential actors)
Framing the system
Tool:stakeholder dimensions
validation
insights

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Listening to
the System
Step 2

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Discovering how interactions lead to system
behaviours by seeking viewpoints & experiences of
people.
• Listen to as many different perspectives as consistent
with the variety in the social system.
Essentially, Design Research. Identifying assumptions
about the system’s parts, relationships & behaviours.
Listening to the system
Step 2

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What do we know about what causes the issue?
• Events:what is happening?
• Patterns:What has been happening repetitively?
• Structures:What influences the patterns?
• Mental models: What beliefs keep the structure in
place?
What don’t we know yet, but would like to find
out? Formulate questions:
• Hypotheses
• Open questions
Listening to the system
Tool:Research questions

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How to communicate the insights to others?
• Actants are a systemic version of personas
• Focus on the goals and activities within the
system, and the emotions involved.
Listening to the system
Tool:Actants

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Understanding goals, actions &
relationships discovered by analysing
human activity systems
• Goal-oriented, mediated activities within
a social system
• What are competing goals?
• What levels of activity can you find?
Listening to the system
Tool:Actor Network
Inspired by the ideas of Bruno Latour and Lev Vygotsky

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Understanding
the System
Step 3

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• Analysing and visualising how the factors of
the system influence each other
• Converging on “where” interventions are
needed to activate change in the system
(leverage points)
Step 3
Understanding the System

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• Identify the variables
• The elements that change over time and therefore
influence the system
• Quantitative or qualitative
• Neutral
Identify the loops
• Balancing
• Reinforcing
Indicate the nature of the connection
• Enhancing
• Error feedback or Opposite directionality
Understanding the System
Variables and loops

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Identify the core dynamic of the system
• Actual dynamic or ideal
Map the influencing variables around
• From studies and from your interviews
• Identify causal loops and draw them around the core
• Indicate how they connect with the core
Use different lenses and scales
• Multiple capitals
• Micro, meso, micro
• Leverage & influencers
Understanding the system
Tool:System Maps

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Identify the core relationship and define what is
exchanged
• Quantitative, qualitative
• Actual relationship or ideal
Map the influencing variables around
• Look back at the stories that emerged from your
interviews. Identify causal loops and draw them around
the core
• Indicate how they connect with the core
Understanding the System
Tool:Actant Systems Map
Inspired by John Shibley - Making Maps: A Method for Drawing System Maps

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System archetype are recurring patterns of
behavior of a system
• Loops responsible for generic patterns of
behaviour over time, particularly
counterintuitive behaviour.
Understanding the system
Tool:System Archetypes
Archetype cards based on the ideas of Peter Senge

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What are the most promising places in
the system's structure where a small
shift in one thing can produce big
changes in everything.
• Which factors are highly blocking
(most arrows in)?
• Which factors are highly unlocking
(most arrows out)?
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Understanding the system
Technique:Leverage Points
Presence of
regulations
for food
management
(driver)
Adoption
of food
collecting
services
(blocker)
Demand for
composting
service
(blocker)

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Simplified systems map to use in a workshop with stakeholders

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• Synthesis of research &
system models into visual
narrative
• Integration of all the
elements of the analyses
phase
Understanding the system
Technique:Synthesis Map

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Defining the Desired
Future
Step 4

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What is the desired future (long haul)?
• Defining & visualising the desired future
Defining the desired future
Technique:articulating the ideal(ised) future

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Ideal future, integration

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What do we want to achieve?
What would be the ideal future for the system?
• What do we want to achieve?
• What are the benefits we want to provide?
• What is driving the change?
• What are the barriers?
• Who is solving this already in a novel way?
• What capacities can we build upon?
• What is our design challenge at this stage?
Defining the desired future
Future canvas

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What is the value we want to create?
• Micro: for the individual
• Meso: for the organisation
and the eco-system
• Macro: for the society
Lenses
• Economical, ecological, phycological, social
Defining the desired future
Tool:Value Proposition
Based on the value framework of Elke den Ouden – Innovation design. Creating
value for people, organizations and society

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Value propositions, fostering integration by
music

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How can we make the system
resilient?
• Agree on the time horizon
• From the leverage points,
brainstorm about the critical
uncertainties
• Combine into scenarios
Next: find intervention strategies to
deal with each scenario.
Defining the desired future
Tool:Future Scenarios

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Exploring the Possibility
Space
Step 5

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Where and how can we intervene in the
system?
• On which levels do you need to intervene
to tackle the challenges?
• What interventions are needed?
Exploring the possibility space
Tool:Intervention Strategy
Inspired by D. Meadows – “Leverage Points: places to intervene in a system”

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How can we design for the multiple needs and
points of view?
• Working with paradoxes is about AND thinking
instead of OR thinking.
• Building blocks for reinforcing loops
Exploring the possibility space
Tool:Paradoxical ideation

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Paradoxical thinking, migration

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Designing the
Intervention Model
Step 6
46

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Connect relationships within activities
• Draw on previous work
• Identify Actors and goals
• Define Activities & touchpoints
• Design an intervention solution as an
interaction model
• Determine & indicate feasibility
Designing the Intervention Model
Activity Model

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How can you connect your ideas?
• Review your ideas: which of those can
reinforce or enable each other?
• Transcribe the ideas on sticky notes.
• Stick the post-its on the provided props. Use
them to connect your ideas. Build your model
of interconnected interventions.
• Try to build reinforcing loops
Designing the Intervention Model
Synthesis Map

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Activity model, School dropouts

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Fostering the Transition
Step 7

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How can we enfold our intervention model in the
existing system?
• Creating the right conditions for change to happen.
• Experiment
• Connect, learn and and grow
• Scale by inviting ‘power’ to collaborate
Building capability to adapt - seeking its goal.
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Fostering the Transition
Tool:roadmap for transition
Inspired by FW Geels – “Processes and patterns in transitions and system
innovations” and the ideas of David Bohm

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Transition by design, food industry

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Exploring how to make the transition
• Scaling up the emerging initiatives
• Fading out the current regime
• Maintaining its strengths
• Using its capacities
• Defining transitional interventions
Fostering the transition
Tool:3 Horizons
Based on the model of Hodgson and Curry

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Understanding when and how change
can be introduced in the existing system.
• Define the aim: create, maintain, or
disrupt
• Determine the systems’ current phase of
change
• Define strategic initiatives to most
effectively enable a transition
Fostering the transition
Panarchy
Based on Holling’s Panarchy / Adaptive cycle

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Universities (in many parts of the world) are becoming socializing
institutions and not centres of engaged learning.
They are not providing training with degrees that support emerging
future needs.
In the US (& elsewhere) people cannot afford to pay increasing
university fees. US student debt is over $2 Trillion.
Workshop problem question:
Can we design pathways to reinvent education?
How to support self-directed learners outside of the
university system ?

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You have up to 3 canvases available to work with in 30 minutes.
We’ll look for concepts to emerge from across the groups.
Each group will take on parts of the problematique, quickly.
• Who are the stakeholders, roles & players?
• What are the underlying drivers and needs?
• How might we design & intervene?
Can we design pathways to reinvent education?
How to support self-directed learners outside of the
university system ?

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Organize into mixed-skill / background tables.
Complete 2 of the SDT canvases – Step 1 Actor map
& one other step.Take 30 minutes in studio.

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Peter Jones, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, OCADU Toronto
Strategic Innovation Lab
Systemic Design courses in:
MDes Strategic Foresight & Innovation
MDes Design for Health ocadu.ca
Co-founder RSD Symposia rsd8.org
Systemic Design Association
Systemic-design.org
Flourishing Enterprise Institute
flourishingenterprise.com
systemicdesigntoolkit.net