Systems thinking and its contribution to understanding future designer thinking

Abstract

Design is changing in a radical way. The object of design is transforming from tangible objects into services and furthermore, into systems. Increasingly, new insights arise from the interfaces between diverse disciplines – such as art, science and technology – which through various discourses and paradigms have been specialized and driven apart. This discussion paper pinpoints the so-called systems thinkers, hybrid-people, whose methods and habits of work are constituted by the reconciliation of different disciplines. The article aims to bring more understanding to the kind of thinking that is needed in the complex and dynamic environment in which we create and use design today. This discussion paper aims to critically understand the advantages and limitations of applying systems thinking to design. The paper attempts to ponder the question of, what a systems view of the world can offer to the future of design thinking.