MAPD4710 Systemic Design and Services 1 Emneplan

The adoption of new healthcare technologies does not always follow a straightforward path from basic scientific research to product development. Instead, it is an iterative process that aligns policy requirements and institutional structures with technological capabilities. Inclusive design plays a crucial role in this process by involving all stakeholders, especially patients, to create meaningful products and services that are both logistically optimised and ethically sound within existing healthcare practices. This course examines how design can be strategically used to integrate these factors, fostering the meaningful and inclusive adoption of new technologies.

Language of Instruction: English

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

Knowledge:

The student attains knowledge of service and systemic design through:

• an overview of central knowledge in the theoretical field of service and systemic design and an understanding of diverse conceptions across contexts and disciplines

• an overview of service design methods of blueprinting, user journey analysis and roadmap

• an overview of data gathering methods in complex settings, such as visual interviewing, design and play probes, and co-designing by workshop

• being able to describe differences between individual perspectives and systemic functioning

• an overview of systemic analysis and design methods of systems analysis, feedback loops, parts and wholes, leveraging systems, structure and expectation analysis and dynamics within a specific context

• an overview of basic concepts of cybernetics and communication theory, building on the course Communication in Design

• understanding conversation theory and its relevance to design contexts

• game dynamics applied in systems thinking

Skills

The student is capable of:

• designing basic services or products informed by systemic design methods with emergent problem definitions

• utilising the combination of information synthesised from theory and data gathering in and of complex settings, by use of visual interview, design and play probes

• facilitating conversations and co-designing with stakeholders applying visualisation methods such as synthesis, stakeholder and GIGA-maps

• using systemic design methods for workshop facilitation, stakeholder cooperation for date gathering and co-design

• using 2D and 3D techniques to communicate and co-create within complex interventions

• performing service blueprinting, user journey analysis and roadmap development through the integration of service and systems theory and practice

General Competence

The student gains competence in systemic design by:

• developing an understanding of complexity and systems thinking in design processes

• holistic thinking in relation to sustainability and societal contexts such as environmental trends and cultural dynamics

• understanding various perspectives for systemic and service design

• collaborating effectively in design projects involving stakeholders

• laying the groundwork for specialisation in systemic design or related fields

No restrictions on examination resources.

All resources are permitted as long as the rules for source referencing are followed. The student is required to indicate if and how AI has been used to answer the exam.

To be eligible to write a master's thesis, all courses from the first year of the program must be successfully completed.

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

Knowledge

The student

• has in-depth knowledge of the chosen research topic with a through grounding in the fields of design
• has in-depth knowledge about and know how to use relevant design methods and scientific methods in an ethical way

Skills

The student

• can plan and carry out a comprehensive independent and adequate confined research project
• can facilitate and lead creative activities as part of a design process
• can collect, analyze and critically reflect and discuss relevant sources of information
• is capable to justify, argue and reflect on decisions adequately and competently
• is capable to communicate well-argued and documented findings and results through text, visualizations and products
• can argue and explain the results societal positions within the chosen field of study

General competence

The student

• is capable to relate their design process to professional research ethics and sustainable value creation
• is capable to critically reflect upon their process and role in relation to achievement and results
• is capable to collaborate and involve resource persons in their research

The most important teaching and learning methods for this course are individual work, group work and individual and group tutoring. Students are encouraged to form colloquia groups and establish collaborations with external resource persons and communities. There will be arranged workshops and/or seminars during the course period.

The master`s project can be carried out individually or through collaboration between 2 or 3 students.

The following work requirements must be approved in order to be qualified for the exam:

• approved project description mid-January
• one reflection paper
• Content in term of text and visual material to IPD`s Digital Archive.

Scale A-F.

Master’s Thesis with Adjusting Oral Examination (individual or in groups of max. 5 students):

The master’s thesis consists of a portfolio with the following components:

• a digital written and visual assignment
• design process documentation: original and physical sketches, maps, posters, models, mockups, etc.
• a product (physical, digital, or system-oriented)

A preliminary grade is given for the portfolio as a whole. Candidates who are assessed with the grade F (fail) cannot proceed to the oral presentation.

Adjusting Oral Examination

Oral presentation of the portfolio for the examiners (may be open to supervisors, students, and invited guests). After the oral presentation, the final grade may be adjusted up or down by up to one grade.

The grade for the master’s thesis may be appealed. In the case of an appeal, the written work will be reassessed by an appeal committee. In cases where the appeal assessment results in a change to the grade for the written component, the student must also complete a new adjusting oral examination.