Summary
When products and services change fundamentally, the practice of Design must change fundamentally, also. What has become of Design in the 21st century, and what is the role of Systems? What does leadership mean and what is innovation, really? Language, conversation, diversity, responsibility, ethics, experimentation are in the necessary mix for today's organizations.
Key Insights
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Cybernetics, originating in the 1940s, is the foundational science of systems with purpose, focused on sensing, comparing, and acting via feedback loops.
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Design in the 21st century requires systemic thinking because products and services are part of interconnected, complex ecosystems.
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Multidisciplinary teams and multiple stakeholder perspectives are essential to avoid tunnel vision and produce richer design outcomes.
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Language—specifically the shared distinctions and values within it—is crucial to effective organizational coordination and evolving design strategies.
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Organizational success depends on the ability to evolve language and viewpoints to adapt to changing market and societal conditions.
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Designers must acknowledge their subjective framing, take responsibility for their viewpoints, and engage in shared conversations to mitigate bias.
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Feedback is a universal mechanism in purposeful systems that helps teams correct course and align with goals.
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Diversity in conversations is pragmatically necessary for innovation, ethical design, and catalyzing desirable systemic change.
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Conversations are not just communication but the core medium through which 21st century design happens, enabling shared values and coordinated action.
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Imperfect framing and language can be pragmatically managed by iterative testing, reflection, and valuing the emotional and social goals behind design decisions.
Notable Quotes
"You cannot do design today in the 21st century without being systemically engaged."
"Cybernetics is the science of systems with purpose, involving sensing, comparing with goals, and acting to correct course."
"If you look at a system as having a purpose, you have to also look at yourself and your purpose."
"Design requires teams because a product is a subsystem of a larger product-service ecology."
"Language is the tool that lets us share distinctions, values, and coordinate our actions in organizations."
"Without evolving language, organizations can become stuck making the wrong product for a changing world."
"We have to embrace variety in conversation to generate richer, ethically sound design outcomes and necessary change."
"Subjectivity is unavoidable; we must subordinate biases to consensus and be accountable for our viewpoints."
"Conversation is 21st century design—it's how we express power, listen to others, and create new language and possibilities."
"Ask yourself: are we having open conversations, sharing values, discussing trade-offs, and acting together?"
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