Introduction Design doesn’t happen in isolation. It’s connected to ecosystems, supply chains, power structures, and human needs. In this final chapter, we take a step back to see the bigger picture through the lens of systems thinking. This mindset helps us move from short-term fixes to long-term transformation.
Using examples from the REIFY seminar in Evia, we reflect on what it means to design within, against, and beyond the current system—and why that matters. We’ll look at how participants didn’t just make nice-looking prototypes but thought about implementation, sourcing, budget, and inclusive futures.
🌍 What is Systems Thinking in Design? Systems thinking means seeing the relationships between parts. It’s about understanding how materials flow, how decisions ripple through communities, and how design can either reinforce or disrupt harmful patterns.
Take the example of fast fashion: designing a beautiful garment without considering the labor, materials, waste, and transportation involved might ignore systemic harm. But when we design with awareness of these relationships, we can create more just and regenerative systems.
🧰 From Prototype to Implementation During the REIFY seminar, participants were asked not only to design creative solutions, but to consider how they would be built, for whom, and with what resources. They:
- Created budgets
- Identified local sourcing options
- Outlined phases of implementation
- Designed with user experience and maintenance in mind
One group developed a compost toilet that was inclusive of women’s needs, noting that many such systems are originally designed with male users in mind. This is what systems thinking looks like in practice: designing beyond the object to include use, gender, labor, and context.
🌿 What Are We Designing For? Too much design today reinforces a broken system. Planned obsolescence. Cheap but unreparable goods. Extractive labor. As designers and citizens, we need to shift the questions:
- Not just: How do we make this cheaper?
- But: How do we make this fairer, longer-lasting, and less harmful?
Systems thinking invites us to design for cycles, relationships, and multiple futures.
🌐 Zooming Out: Where This Course Fits In Throughout this MOOC, you’ve explored values-driven design. You’ve seen how small changes can spark large effects. Now is the time to think about your role in the system: as a creator, user, neighbor, or changemaker.
🛠️ Activity: Design a Better System Pick a real-life system around you: your school’s cafeteria, a public space, or how recycling works in your area. Ask yourself:
- Who benefits? Who is excluded?
- Where does waste happen?
- What materials or relationships are invisible?
Sketch or describe one change that could improve this system sustainably.
📚 Further Resources
- The Systems Thinker – Online Articles
- Donella Meadows – Thinking in Systems
- IDEO – Design for Impact Framework
🌟 Final Thoughts Systems thinking is not a finish line—it’s a mindset. As you wrap up this course, remember that the work of sustainable design is ongoing. Keep observing. Keep questioning. And most of all, keep designing with care for the whole.