Thackera, John. 2006. In the bubble: designing in a complex world. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Chapter 10.
Summary:
Thackera speaks of a new approach to design – one where actors or elements interact with each other and the environment in a particular context, based on an understanding of the principles of complex systems, instead of following set plans.
He calls for a redesign of the ‘space of flows’ constituting the world today, as defined by Manuel Castells. According to Thackera our growing understanding of complex systems and how these unpredictable systems evolve, is central to the ongoing process of redesigning the flows of society and its spheres of operation and expression.
The authour presents seven design frameworks for action, namely: 1) a sense-and-respond approach; 2) emphasis on in-depth context; 3) harnessing diversity by using the edge effect; 4) innovation through recombination of ideas and relationships; 5) shift to social systems in design scenarios for enabling solutions; 6) collaborative design with actors, valuing interactions and people 7) design as a process-oriented service.
Notes & Quotes:
Manuel Castells sees the modern world in terms of ‘flows’ some with negative impacts called rebound effects, considered by economists as ‘exogenous’ – but the author states this is incorrect and sees these outcomes as part of the system. eg. technology isn’t exogenous to society, it isn’t accidental; we created it and the unexpected consequences.
“A redesign of this space of flows is a tall order, because the precise behavior of complex systems-including human ones-is not predictable.”
Fortunately we are grasping the principles of how complex systems function, and here the author offers insight for designing in a complex world, and a promising framework for action.
“American designer John Carroll says of design in today’s complex world, “its ultimate objective and approach have to be discovered, not specified.””
Thackara offers insight into seven design frameworks, namely:
- From blueprint and plan to sense and respond
- From high concept to deep context
- From top-down design to seeding edge effects
- From blank sheets of paper to smart recombination
- From science fiction to social fiction
- From designing for people to designing with us
- From design as project to design as service
Essentially the author has a positive outlook on our capacity to face complex problems through design informed by principles of complexity.
Transdisciplinary Design towards Transformation 