Expanding your Design Lens with Systems Thinking

Key Insights

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  Systems thinking helps designers address wicked problems by viewing issues as interconnected wholes rather than isolated parts.

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  Plastic pollution data often obscures the true system, as wealthy countries export much of their waste to poorer countries with weaker waste management.

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  User-centered design can unintentionally perpetuate harm by focusing narrowly on individual experience without systemic context.

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  Infinite scroll is an example where optimizing for user ease led to negative societal consequences.

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  Systems thinking concepts revolve around interconnectedness, causality, and wholeness to avoid shifting problems within the system.

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  Causal loop diagrams and iceberg diagrams are effective tools for visualizing complex system feedback and root causes.

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  Systems thinking encourages engagement with diverse, multidisciplinary stakeholders including policy makers, researchers, and affected communities.

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  Anticipating unintended consequences of design interventions helps mitigate harmful long-term systemic effects.

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  Tools like causal loop maps do not have to be large or complex; even small loops provide meaningful insights and facilitate stakeholder alignment.

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  Temporary solutions to crises risk becoming permanent emergencies unless designed with systemic foresight.

Notable Quotes