TU Delft Systemic Design Lab*
*Current contributing lab members (alphabetical): Geert Brinkman, Sine Celik, Jotte de Koning, Jan-Carel Diehl, Hannah Goss, Tekla Komlossy, Emile Mazerant, Ellen Merkus, Ayşegül Özçelik, Deger Ozkaramanli, Anna-Louisa Peeters, Rebecca Price, Froukje Sleeswijk Visser, Elisabeth Tschagova, Thomas van Arkel, Sonja van Dam, Anita van Essen, Maaike Weber, Elke Wennekers, Seline Westerhof
This paper presents the systemic design approach of the Delft Systemic Design Lab (D-SDL) at TU Delft’s Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering through four interrelated practises that inform its research, education, and design activities: 1) framing complexity, 2) meaningful formgiving, 3) building relations, and 4) nurturing reflexivity. Rather than offering prescriptive methodologies, these practises constitute evolving orientations for engaging with systemic complexity, developed through iterative reflection and grounded in the experience of D-SDL researchers. We demonstrate how these practises unfold in design work through the analysis of two master’s thesis projects that address complex societal challenges—one focused on financial crime prevention, the other on public health intervention. Each project is examined through the lens of the four practises, showing how they shape design processes and outcomes in context. Through this analysis and reflection, we identify specific research questions to deepen the understanding of each practise and their dynamic interactions. Additionally, we highlight cross-cutting themes, particularly around positionality and methodology, that signal areas for further theoretical and methodological development. Together, these insights form a research agenda for the D-SDL and contribute to the broader scholarly discourse on the evolution of systemic design methodologies and their epistemological foundations.
Keywords: Systemic design research, systemic design practise, framing, formgiving, reflexivity, relations