This document discusses systems thinking and introduces some key concepts. It begins with an introduction from Boon about their work in design, strategy, products and systems. It then provides an overview of systems thinking, discussing how it helps navigate complexity. It introduces some tools for systems thinking like causal loop diagrams and explores an example problem space around retail during COVID times. It emphasizes that systems thinking is a philosophy and way of seeing the world through a systems lens.

1. BOON YEW CHE
W
May 24, 2022
Web à Québec
Getting along with complexity
Systems Thinking

2. Hello, I'm Boon! 👋
I work on...
design, strategy, products, services
,
... and systems!

5. S Y S T E M S T H I N K I N G
Getting along with complexity

6. E C Z E M A

7. E C Z E M A
S C R A T C H I N G
S K I N D A M A G E
I N F L A M A T I O N
I T C H I N G

8. E C Z E M A
S U P E R F I C I A L C A U S E
A N D E F F E C T
"My cousin had really bad eczema.
She tried this (medication, technique,
sorcery, etc.) and it went away
.
You should give it a try"

9. E C Z E M A
S U P E R F I C I A L C A U S E
A N D E F F E C T
"My cousin had really bad eczema.
She tried this (medication, technique,
sorcery, etc.) and it went away
.
You should give it a try"
C O N F L I C T I N G ( ? )
P E R S P E C T I V E S
"Boosting your immune system will help
your eczema"
"Methotrexate suppresses your immune
system to reduce inflammation"

10. E C Z E M A
S U P E R F I C I A L C A U S E
A N D E F F E C T
"My cousin had really bad eczema.
She tried this (medication, technique,
sorcery, etc.) and it went away
.
You should give it a try"
U N I N T E N D E D
C O N S E Q U E N C E S
Excessive use of topical steroids (a
common treatment for eczema) could
lead to a condition known as "topical
steroid withdrawal"
C O N F L I C T I N G ( ? )
P E R S P E C T I V E S
"Boosting your immune system will help
your eczema"
"Methotrexate suppresses your immune
system to reduce inflammation"

11. E C Z E M A
S U P E R F I C I A L C A U S E
A N D E F F E C T
"My cousin had really bad eczema.
She tried this (medication, technique,
sorcery, etc.) and it went away
.
You should give it a try"
C O N F L I C T I N G ( ? )
P E R S P E C T I V E S
"Boosting your immune system will help
your eczema"
"Methotrexate suppresses your immune
system to reduce inflammation"
U N I N T E N D E D
C O N S E Q U E N C E S
Excessive use of topical steroids (a
common treatment for eczema) could
lead to a condition known as "topical
steroid withdrawal"
S E E I N G , S E N S I N G T H E
W O R L D D I F F E R E N T L Y
I was not very active - sweat made me
itch. I looked red all the time. I had to
manage stress, environment, diet,
relationships, etc.... which was
exhausting.

12. My eczema is much better now, thanks for modern healthcare...
But my experiences helped me
appreciate the value of systems thinking.
S U P E R F I C I A L
C A U S E A N D E F F E C T
C O N F L I C T I N G ( ? )
P E R S P E C T I V E S
U N I N T E N D E D
C O N S E Q U E N C E S
S E E I N G , S E N S I N G
T H E W O R L D
D I F F E R E N T L Y
F E E D B A C K L O O P S ,
V I C I O U S C Y C L E S

13. Systems thinking is…
...more than just a collection of tools and methods
– it’s also an underlying philosophy.
A sensitivity to the circular nature of the world we live in;
an awareness of the role of structure in creating the conditions we face;
a recognition that there are powerful laws of systems operating that we are unaware of;
a realization that there are consequences to our actions that we are oblivious to. ”
https://thesystemsthinker.com/systems-thinking-what-why-when-where-and-how/
“

14. A system is…
…a complex whole;
a set of things working together
as a mechanism or
interconnecting network ”
Oxford Dictionaries 2008
“
relationships
system
boundary
parts

15. A system is…
…a complex whole;
a set of things working together
as a mechanism or
interconnecting network ”
Oxford Dictionaries 2008
biological system
mechanical system
complex adaptive system
“
In a sense, systems thinkers ask: what can we learn
from understanding systems, so that we can apply
the learnings in our own lives and situations?

16. Why systems thinking?
Systems thinking can be useful
for situations wher
e
many inter-related parts affect each othe
r
common sense(s) doesn't always hel
p
other, more invisible factors are at pla
y
...for problems big and small 👉

17. Comparing UX to systems thinking
USER EXPE R IEN CE SYSTEMS THINKING
people, context of use PRIMARY PERSPECTIVE system context and behaviour
product / service experience O U T C O M E S system health and outcomes
discovery, prototyping, delivery ITERATIVE PRAXIS inquiry, modelling, interventions
Working between UX and Systems Thinking is like working in different paradigms that intersect.

18. Going beyond product & service experiences
USER EXPE R IEN CE SYSTEMS THINKING
USER EXPE R IEN CE SYSTEMS THINKING
product / service experience product / service outcomes system health and outcomes
example:
Home improvement online
shopping & service experience
example:
Improving the home environment to
support post-pandemic lifestyles
example:
Sustainability of work practices
affecting health and society
Depending on what you're working on, you can combine or blend UX and Systems Thinking.
⇋ ⇋

19. Systems Thinking o
ff
ers many methodologies
for various types of complex problems

20. e.g. to evaluate and improve
the functioning of an
organisation
Viable System Model
Stafford Beer
http://www.moderntimesworkplace.com/good_reading/GRRespSelf/
TheViableSystemModel.pdf

21. e.g. to help organisations work
through complex problems
involving many di
ff
erent
stakeholders and perspectives
Soft Systems Methodology
Peter Checkland
https://www.open.edu/openlearn/mod/oucontent/view.php?id=65641&section=6

22. e.g. to help improve the
delivery of services, and
service organisations
Vanguard Method
John Seddon
https://leanandkanban.wordpress.com/2010/02/28/vanguard-network-day-25th-february-2010-part-1/

23. UNITARY
People all think
and align on
relating / working
in a certain way
PLURALIST
People don't
think alike, but
can agree to
work other
COERCIVE
People use rules
or assertions on
each other System of System
Methodologies
(SOSM) classifies
various systems
thinking methods
according to different
complex situations
they are often used for.
There's even a way to know which methodology is
suited to what type of complex problem

24. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_theory
The disciplines of UX, Dan Saffer, circa. 2005
Systems thinking is multidisciplinary

25. Systems thinking thrives on certain
"ways of seeing & sensing"
https://medium.com/disruptive-design/tools-for-systems-thinkers-the-6-fundamental-concepts-of-systems-thinking-379cdac3dc6a

26. Systems thinking can be
overwhelming and academic
(and can turn people away.... systems stinking 😆)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_system#/media/File:2018_Map_of_the_Complexity_Sciences_HD.jpg

27. but it doesn't have to be.
Kate Raworth
,
Economist, Oxford University Environmental Change Institut
e
Author of "Doughnut Economics"

28. Let's explore with an exercise
using the "Causal Loop Diagram" tool
1. A problem spac
e
2. Forces and event
s
3. Causal loop diagrams (just one tool out of many
)
4. So, what's the story?

29. 1. A problem space
e.g. Retail shopping during COVID times
Photo by Heidi Fin on Unsplash

30. 2. Forces and events
What things become important factors?
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
hygiene
Don't take these too seriously!

31. 2. Forces and events
What factors are related?
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
hygiene

32. 2. Forces and events
What factors are related?
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
It's looking messy!

33. 2. Forces and events
What factors are related?
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
Cleaned up a bit.

34. 3. Causal loop diagrams
What affects something else? (important: causation, not correlation!)
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
Indicates what
causes what

35. 3. Causal loop diagrams
Let's use only one-directional arrows
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt

37. h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
Indicates what
causes what

38. 3. Causal loop diagrams
How do forces affect increase or decrease? (This is important)
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
−
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ −
+
−
−
−
+ increasin
g
− decreasing
+
in words
:
"vaccines reduces
the need for
movement
restrictions."
−
+
+
+
+

39. 3. Causal loop diagrams
Why is it called "causal loop diagrams"?
Where are the loops?
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks
vaccine
uptake
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
−
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ −
+
−
−
−
+
in words
:
"vaccines reduces
the need for
movement
restrictions."
−
+
+
+

40. 3. Causal loop diagrams
Here's one loop!
supply
chain
changes
digital
transfor-
mation
+
+
This is a reinforcing loop
.
Both things reinforce each other
.
As a result, both grow and grow over time.
easier in words
:
"digital transformation will cause changes in the
supply chain and vice versa.
"
(Just an example - don't take this too seriously!)

41. 3. Causal loop diagrams
Here's another loop!
supply
chain
changes
loss of
jobs
store
closures
movement
restric-
tions
vaccines
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
This is a balancing loop
.
The cycle doesn't grow as exponentially
because some forces go the opposite way.
easier in words
:
"mental health issues increase the likelihood of
misinformation which discourage vaccine uptake,
discouraging restrictions from being lifted."
(Just an example - don't take this too seriously!)
+
+
+
+
−
−
+

42. 4. So, what's the story?
Stories help us make sense of these complicated maps.
loss of
jobs
store
closures
infection
rates
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
working
from
home
online
shopping
movement
restric-
tions
masks vaccines
hygiene
free time
misin-
formation
mental
healt
h
issues
digital
transfor-
mation
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
−
+
+
+
+
+
+
+ −
+
−
−
−
+
−
+
+
+
+

43. 4. So, what's the story?
e.g.: Digital retail will become a new
normal. Home improvement on the rise!
loss of
jobs
supply
chain
changes
home
improvem
ent
online
shopping
free time
digital
transfor-
mation
+
+
+
−
+
+
+
+
Assumptions: new job
creation, people like working
from home, digital pays off,
limited travel for awhile, people
want to enjoy despite the
pandemic... etc.
working
from
home
+
−
We all have stories about how the world
works. Systems thinking helps us relate
stories to systems behaviour and vice versa.

44. Connection Circles
Rich pictures Iceberg model*
Cognitive Maps
as part of Strategic Options Development And Analysis (SODA
)
There are many more tools to explore...
*Not just any iceberg model.This one is most commonly referred to in systems thinking.

45. Do these "ways of seeing & sensing" relate?
https://medium.com/disruptive-design/tools-for-systems-thinkers-the-6-fundamental-concepts-of-systems-thinking-379cdac3dc6a
➡ ➡ ➡
➡ ➡ ➡

46. A trove of perspectives, tools, & approaches at a cost
Various approaches enable us to visualise, sense,
navigate, diagnose and shape systems in many ways
.
But this has a cost. Systems thinking bene
fi
ts from
critical thinking, continuous learning and embracing
multiple perspectives. It can be a steep curve, and
daunting if we feel like "outsiders" or newbies
.
There's no "one right way", but we can be aware of
"mental traps" that can cause confusion.
Tools in
fl
uence
the way you see
the world.
If you only have
a hammer,
everything
looks like a nail.

47. We're used to seeing the world through the
eyes of people and products we design for
.
Systems thinking helps us see the world
through the eyes of systems that we're a part of.
Parting thoughts

48. More rabbit holes resources 🐇
Books:
Thinking in Systems, Donella Meadows
Simple Habits for Complex Times, Jennifer Garvey Berger and Keith Johnston
Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers, upcoming Rosenfeld book by Sheryl Cababa
Books from Michael C. Jackson
Site: thesystemsthinker.com
https://ixda.slack.com #systems-thinking channel
Medium article: Resources: Systems Thinking for Designers
People who study and apply proli
fi
cally, and share lots of stuff:
Benjamin P. Taylor (bentaylor.com)
Kevin Richard (kevinrichard.ch)
Giles Hindle PhD (YouTube: Systems Thinking in Practice)

49. Thank you.
boon.chew@gmail.com
medium + twitter : @boonych
linkedin : boonyewchew