Summary
While systems thinking is all hype, a superficial application may jeopardize the value of service design practice. This talk will highlight the hidden dangers of applying systems thinking, with examples of struggles from over a decade of practice experience. To support the ongoing evolution of service design, this talk will share strategies for adopting a systemic approach that amplifies, rather than erodes, the transformative potential of the practice.
Key Insights
-
•
Mega maps or giga maps flatten complex systems into overwhelming 'god’s eye views' that increase cognitive load and paralyze action.
-
•
Embodiment and emotions offer crucial, underutilized capacities to understand and engage with systemic complexity.
-
•
Small-scale, localized interventions can reflect and influence larger systemic patterns more effectively than only pursuing macro-level change.
-
•
The common focus on a singular 'next big system' perpetuates a reductive, linear future, eroding plurality and adaptability.
-
•
Supporting multiplicity and ongoing negotiation through the concept of the Uncommons preserves diverse logics of care and worldviews.
-
•
Project-based models limit systemic change by imposing artificial closures and overlooking ripple effects requiring ongoing attention.
-
•
Design research programs with drifting frames foster emergent outcomes via iterative, context-sensitive experimentation.
-
•
Critical reflexivity on our own positionality and internalized systemic biases is essential to avoid reproducing power imbalances unintentionally.
-
•
Service design risks perpetuating its own professional dominance instead of stewarding many diverse ways people shape systems daily.
-
•
Systems are shaped through mundane, everyday interactions and dialogues, not only through formal interventions.
Notable Quotes
"These mega maps create a god’s like view that no one is actually standing in, erasing the embodied experience of systems."
"Blushing is an inherently systemic reaction helping us understand what’s acceptable in a situation or not."
"How we are at the small scale reflects the systemic patterns at the large scale — Adrian Marie Brown."
"The three horizons model risks reducing complex futures into a linear, replace-the-old narrative, eroding plurality."
"We need to move beyond project management models into collaborative inquiries that hold everyday systemic exploration."
"We often forget the systems within ourselves that limit our perspective, even with the best intentions."
"Design labs risk reinforcing the dominance of professional design, overshadowing diverse ways people shape systems."
"Systems change happens through the mundane—what bus I take, how I negotiate pronouns at home, these small acts matter."
"I invite designers to be method makers rather than method users, critically examining how tools embed systemic logics."
"Colonialism is embedded in all our systems, including embodied methodologies; reflexivity is crucial to avoid reproducing it."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If design didn’t move the needle, we wouldn’t be having this conversation."
Standardizing Product Merits for Leaders, Designers, and Everyone
June 15, 2018
"You can mine metadata from your platform to spot emerging patterns and commoditize new components."
Simon WardleyMaps and Topographical Intelligence (Videoconference)
January 31, 2019
"The Reflexive Compass helps us discern bias patterns early, take accountability, and measure impact."
Sandra CamachoCreating More Bias-Proof Designs
January 22, 2025
"Appealing to stakeholders’ best interests helps build trust and rapport."
Darian DavisLessons from a Toxic Work Relationship
January 8, 2024
"Having conversations with stakeholders before sharing AI-generated recommendations validates their legitimacy and relevance."
Fisayo Osilaja[Demo] The AI edge: From researcher to strategist
June 4, 2024
"Craft cultivates customer satisfaction, loyalty, and even forgiveness when functional issues arise."
Uday GajendarThe Wicked Craft of Enterprise UX
May 13, 2015
"Experience vision is a powerful tool because it gives everyone a tangible goal to work towards."
Davis Neable Guy SegalHow to Drive a Design Project When you Don’t Have a Design Team
June 10, 2021
"People felt designs were self-evident and too much explanation was a barrier to using the patterns."
Eniola OluwoleLessons From the DesignOps Journey of the World's Largest Travel Site
October 24, 2019
"Finding a single source of truth for design documents and artifacts is extremely hard because most tools operate in silos."
Aurobinda Pradhan Shashank DeshpandeIntroduction to Collaborative DesignOps using Cubyts
September 9, 2022
