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Is ‘Systems Thinking’ the new buzzword in UX?

UX professionals can successfully add systems thinking into our work, yet we should be willing to do it justice. This means we’ve got to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

Systems are all around us. (Image created with AI)
Systems are all around us. (Image created with AI). Photo originally appeared on Medium.

There is a growing interest in systems thinking as a framework for designers to apply in solving user experience problems. Some are even donning new titles as ‘systems designers.’ It might seem like a new fad or a pivot from the awkward growing pains that UX is experiencing. Systems thinking sounds intriguing, even intuitive, to those working in human-centered design spaces. To answer the question posed in the title of this article — it might be fashionable; however, it should be given more attention than just a passing phrase in the spotlight.

Encouraging momentum toward UX successfully adopting systems thinking can be found, as Sheryl Cababa describes in her 2023 book Closing the Loop; Systems Thinking for DesignersAnyone promoting it should understand its rich history and do it justice to avoid degrading its potential. This means we’ve got to get comfortable with the uncomfortable.

This article was written by DDes student Meghan Bausone for Medium. To read the full article, click here.