Chiara Battistoni, Thomas Jun, and Tom Maiorana
Facilitated by Seanna Davidson
How did you come to systemic design, and what makes it a meaningful space for you?
The opening session of RSD14 brings together three Systemic Design Association board members to reflect on their work and its connection to systemic design. As a relatively new interdisciplinary field that blends systems thinking with design methodologies, the question of what it means to identify as a systemic designer remains open. Saying “I’m in systemic design” can draw blank looks, and the term itself can seem, depending on perspective, either too academic and specialised or too general and tool-focused.
Chiara, Thomas, and Tom discuss how they situate themselves within systemic design—explaining why they use the term, how it shapes their practice, and what makes it meaningful to them. Their RSD14 contributions provide concrete points of reference, both in the character of their work and in their choice to share it with the systemic design community.
RSD14 contributions
Chiara Battistoni—Gigamaps for Education in Systemic Sustainable Product Design (paper)
Thomas Jun—How To Make Sense Of The Complex Relationships Between Multiple Tensions Surrounding Digital Decarbonisation (paper, co-authors Thomai Papadopoulou, Tom Jackson, Graham Hitchen, Michael Wilson, and Thomas Jun
Tom Maiorana—The Map Maker Lied: Teaching systems through embodied play (paper) and Embodied Systems: An Escape Room Experience for Systemic Designers (@OCADU workshop)
The RSD14 context
A look at the RSD14-RSDX programme affirms that systemic design is working as an interdiscipline, bringing together systems thinking and design methodologies as a pathway to understanding and acting in complexity. As an interdiscipline, the tools and methods continue to take shape, from gigamapping and synthesis mapping to newly conceived systemic interventions such as living system maps (Dulaj Perera, Geke Ludden, Wouter Eggink, Jairo da Costa), systemic evaluation frameworks for organisational change (Louise Gallagher, Lewis Muirhead, Ryan Murphy), and leadership systems(ic) practices (Dana Shen, Seanna Davidson). These are firing on the analytic strengths of systems thinking while leveraging the generative capacities of design.
At the same time, the ethos of systemic design continues to evolve, becoming increasingly transdisciplinary and strongly aligned with pluralism and epistemic diversity. This year, systemic designers have pushed out from the integration of systems and design to draw in perspectives from multiple disciplines, professional practices, and lived experiences—for example, connecting cybernetics with democratic dialogue (Sergej van Middendorp, Flavio Mesquita da Silva) or reimagining futures through Black Liberation Theology and decoloniality (Victor Udoewa).
Designers continue to engage with diverse knowledge systems, from scientific and organisational to artistic and decolonial strands, to address challenges that exceed the capacity of any one field. The polycrisis sharpens the role of systemic design—not to deliver singular answers, but to build relational capacities that can withstand disruption and open pathways to transformation.
Profiles
Chiara Battistoni
Università Iuav di Venezia
Dr Chiara Battistoni is an industrial and systemic designer. In 2020, she was awarded a PhD in Management, Production and Design in Politecnico di Torino (IT), where she focused on relationships between systemic design and circular economy in the manufacturing sector and the entrepreneurial opportunities at the territorial level. She has also developed several research activities with the Systemic Design Research Group in Politecnico di Torino (IT) for many years. Chiara has collaborated on many national and European projects, such as RETRACE, with the international Blue Economy network of Gunter Pauli, the Circular Economy Alliance and the Italian startup Mercato Circolare. Since 2022, Chiara has worked as a researcher at Università Iuav di Venezia (Venice, IT), where she is exploring the systemic design approach for product design in the food service sector.
Chaira is an SDA board member serving 2023–2024, 2024-2026.
Thomas Jun
Loughborough University
Gyuchan Thomas Jun is a Professor of Sociotechnical System Design at the School of Design and Creative Arts, Loughborough University, UK. He is a design researcher, human factors specialist, participatory design facilitator, and award-winning animation/film producer working in the fields of human-centred design, healthcare system design, and system safety. His expertise is in applying systems thinking approaches to safety incident investigation and designing/integrating new technologies (e.g., digital health, machine learning, wearables) into healthcare systems.
Thomas is an SDA board member serving 2024–2026.
Tom Maiorana
UC Davis
Tom Maiorana is an associate professor in the Department of Design at UC Davis and the founder of the Prototyping Systems Lab. Tom specialises in product design and development, design thinking, and prototyping. His research explores the ways in which low-resolution prototypes can be used to create human-centred, complex systems. He is a 2021 Community Engaged Learning Faculty Fellow at UC Davis. Tom is also the founder of Red Cover Studios, which specialises in product development and innovation strategy and uses prototyping as a central practice in work ranging from interaction design to fashion and organisational change. Tom has started several design firms, most recently, conceptualised and launched Hive at the Claremont Colleges, a center for collaborative creativity. Tom has an MFA in design from Stanford University and a BA in American Culture from Vassar College.
Tom is an SDA board member serving 2023–2026.
Seanna Davidson
Founder & Director, The Systems School
Seanna is a systems practitioner and process designer dedicated to navigating complex change. She founded The Systems School in 2019and currently, much of her work is based in Australia; however, she is well-known to the Canadian social innovation community for her work with the Waterloo Institute for Complexity and Innovation (formerly WISIR), her dedication to water governance, and her commitment to building confidence in systems thinking and reflective practice. Now based in Kabi Kabi Country, with recognised Native Title, Seanna continues to cultivate connections between people and systems, drawing inspiration from the natural world, early morning stillness, and meaningful dialogue. Seanna’s full profile.
