What is a system?: A lesson learned from the emerging practice of designX

Abstract

The scope of design continues to expand and designers have been increasingly dealing with issues arising from systems. DesignX as inquiry into the approaches how to design for complex, sociotechnical system started in 2014, and emerging practices have been inspired ever since. However, it is observed that DesignX focuses on “How” issues without sufficiently addressing the fundamental question “What is a system?” Divergent from DesignX’s dominant focus, Richard Buchanan proposed a schema of systems. With references to Buchanan’s earlier work on the strategies of inquiry and the nature of interaction, a holistic framework of systems was synthesized. Using this framework, the author further analyzed the case of “Design for Healthcare in the Community,” which was an explorative step of a DesignX project. In this paper, the author attempted to reflect on the developing trajectory of DesignX dialogue by employing Buchanan’s ongoing work on systems as a reference framework. It is argued that Buchanan’s framework of systems provides a valuable theoretical tool to enrich the DesignX dialogue and practice.