Systemic Design Studio

This is a design studio of DfI theme 2: Design for Societal Innovation and SPD theme 2: Strategic Design for Social and Sustainable Innovation.

In this immersive design studio, you will experience designing in the context of complex societal challenges in a multidimensional way and learn how to adapt key capabilities to this specific context. You will engage with real-world challenges and learn how to create design interventions (artifacts, services, strategies, processes or any other manifestations of design) that intentionally contribute to system-level change. You will do this by envisioning alternative futures and designing for them through the use of systemic design methods and principles. You will learn how to perceive societal challenges and the way to address them through various theoretical lenses including complexity theory, network theory and evolutionary design. You will also learn research methods to investigate complex societal challenges, as well as systemic design principles to design for them. The theoretical and methodological knowledge will be integrated in the design project that you will undertake as a part of this hands-on course. Throughout the course you will be working on multiple real challenges coming from clients in consecutive design cycles. Design skills and capabilities like (visual) communication techniques for systemic design and design leadership in public/private ecosystems will also be practiced in this course. Finally, while expanding your portfolio through systemic design, you will also have the opportunity to expand your network through engaging with stakeholders in relation to your chosen challenges and conduct field research as you follow participatory design approaches to learn how to balance the interests and concerns of individuals, communities, organizations and other actors that form the society.