MAPD5210 Visualizing Complexity Course description

This course introduces systems thinking as part of the design profession. Systems thinking is defined as a key competency by UNESCO to achieve sustainable development (2018). In Visualizing Complexity, you will study and work with several methods and approaches that combines systems theory and design. Using these approaches, will make it possible for you to understand and work with and within complex settings. Complexity in this setting relates to factors such as products, production, sharing, and services and dimensions such as social/political, environment, economy, management, organization change and development, planning, strategy, and technology in which the designer, as well as products and services that they create, will perform and influence.

Visualizing is a major activity in this course. All studies, readings, observations, interviews, data analysis, user journeys, development, and design, will be visualized in real-time or after the activity is performed. This, to realize, understand, and describe relations, synthesize and categorize the data that is present to all project participants during the whole project. Systemic design methods thus facilitate cooperation and co-creation. The approach of GIGA-mapping, which builds on cooperation among students and clients, with lay-people, professionals, stakeholders, and researchers from other disciplines (intra- and inter disciplinary), is therefore central in this course. GIGA-mapping involves the visualization of data to accumulate, communicate, and analyze to understand and create products and services within complex strategic systems and structures. Therefore GIGA-mapping is widely used as a workshop method to generate data and understand and handle them with the partakers in the project.

The introduced systems theory will be part of the systemic design and GIGA-mapping process by the analysis through for example describing feedback loops, relations, input and output dynamics, systems, systems coding, buffers, delay, emergence, closed and open communications, and collective communication and information.

Admission to the Master's programme.

After completing the course, the student is expected to have achieved advanced level in the following learning outcomes defined in terms of knowledge, skills and general competence:

Knowledge

The student will attain knowledge within:

• systems theory, systemic design and sustainability
• cybernetics and communication theory
• conversation theory
• systems dynamics and systems analysis
• game dynamics in systems
• methods for data gathering in complex settings (visual interviewing, design probes and play probes, co-design, among others)

Skills

The student is capable of:

• describing complex contexts through systems thinking as basis for design
• creating GIGA-maps
• usages of GIGA-maps as conversation, data gathering, research, and design tools
• utilizing systemic design methods for data gathering, sharing, cooperation, analysis, documentation, creation, and the analysis of the creation (intervention)
• documenting all findings in common visualizations and reducing data into graphs that communicate for example discussions, findings, tendencies, causality, dynamics, emergence i.a.
• creating services and products on the basis of the above mentioned skills

General competence

The student attains advanced competence in systemic design by:

• developing the ability to understand and handle complexity and systems thinking in design processes in groups with stakeholders
• holistic thinking and understanding of design projects in relation to sustainability, environmental and social megatrends, general societal contexts and dynamics, culture, politics, market and technological contexts
• communication and cooperation by visualization, GIGA-mapping, and other types of mapping
• the capability to play a lead and cooperative role in design related projects in public and business contexts
• the ability to implement a chosen specialization as an additional approach or focus within this specific course context

The most important teaching and learning methods for this course are: workshops, group work, lectures, discussions (conversation theory based), studio courses and tutoring

The following required coursework must be approved before the student can take the exam:

• One note of reflection. Maximum 1000 words.
• One workshop
• workshop documentation

Individual or group portfolio examination. The portfolio consists of:

• One gigamap / systems mapping
• visualized articles

The examination result can be appealed.

No restrictions.

Grade scale A-F.

Two internal examiners. External examiners are used regularly.