Abstract
One of the emergent approaches towards designing (for) transitions and transformations is the application of systemic design: the integration of systems theories and practice with design theories and practices. Within this field we identified two dominant perspectives and associate practices: using systemic visualisations as a sense-making tool of complex challenges, and ‘designing from within’ by means of collective designing by system stakeholders. In this paper we introduce a third perspective and practice that we call ‘systemic design reasoning’. This perspective combines the abductive reasoning logic of design with various systems theories and practices to develop ‘systemic design rationales’. We developed six systemic design principles to support this reasoning practice. Each principle is based on a specific systems theory and practice. We illustrate the principles with examples of their application in research and in education. We conclude with a research agenda to further the practice of systemic design reasoning.
Keywords
systems thinking; systemic design; design reasoning; design principles; education
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.585
Citation
van der Bijl-Brouwer, M., Celik, S., de Koning, J., Nieuwborg, A., and Tromp, N. (2024) Systemic Design Reasoning for Societal Transitions, in Gray, C., Ciliotta Chehade, E., Hekkert, P., Forlano, L., Ciuccarelli, P., Lloyd, P. (eds.), DRS2024: Boston, 23–28 June, Boston, USA. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2024.585
Creative Commons License
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Conference Track
Research Paper
Included in
Systemic Design Reasoning for Societal Transitions
One of the emergent approaches towards designing (for) transitions and transformations is the application of systemic design: the integration of systems theories and practice with design theories and practices. Within this field we identified two dominant perspectives and associate practices: using systemic visualisations as a sense-making tool of complex challenges, and ‘designing from within’ by means of collective designing by system stakeholders. In this paper we introduce a third perspective and practice that we call ‘systemic design reasoning’. This perspective combines the abductive reasoning logic of design with various systems theories and practices to develop ‘systemic design rationales’. We developed six systemic design principles to support this reasoning practice. Each principle is based on a specific systems theory and practice. We illustrate the principles with examples of their application in research and in education. We conclude with a research agenda to further the practice of systemic design reasoning.