User Centred Systems Thinking

What you’ll learn

• The concepts underpinning user centred systems thinking approach 

• How and when to apply a systems approach (and what to watch out for!) 

• Common techniques for visualising a system
• How to set boundaries in a system
• How to use insights from user-centred systems thinking to inform decision 

Other course information  

• It’s run in a small group, with an average size of 15 people

• The course includes some group working (please do include any additional needs in relation to this on the accessibility survey) 

• You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from our experienced team 

• The format is approximately 60% theory and 40% practice 

• We’ll share course materials afterwards, together with recommendations for further reading   

• We also offer 1-2-1 mentoring sessions following the course to provide additional support specific to your work context  

Who should come on this course?

• Those who are new to systems thinking 

• Established designers who work in complex spaces (in house and in agencies) 

• Those in strategic roles who want a better understanding of the system around them 

Note: We recommend participants have a knowledge of basic design tools, such as journey mapping, service blueprinting etc before coming on this course.

Find out more about our Journey Mapping & Service Blueprinting course

Find our more about our Making Sense of Service Design course

What do people say about this course?

“The facilitators were really engaging and brilliant at presenting. Genuinely one of the best training I’ve done in a while. I thought it being spread over two days was great, gave time to digest and take it in. This training really helped me understand the “zoom in” and “zoom out” of how to look at problems, and the fact there’s complex and complicated problems.” 

“It was a complex topic that I felt was delivered in a really engaging way. I was able to pick up the tools and techniques and use them straight away. The breakout structure was great for getting hands on with the tools.” 

Do you want to learn as a group?

We can also deliver this course to your team, either online or in person, visit our in-house training page for more information.  

*We want to make sure our courses are available to everyone, so please get in touch with us about a free place if you are unemployed, on maternity leave or on a very low income.  

But wait… what is user-centred systems thinking?

Systems thinking is a holistic problem-solving approach that focuses on understanding the connections of a complex network. It’s not a new approach, but it’s rarely used alongside user-centred design methods to create holistic solutions. 

Organisations often struggle to make effective change when designing in complex spaces, where every action and decision has a knock-on effect. Problems rarely happen or are solved in isolation. This can mean teams often only see part of the picture when designing solutions, which can result in projects failing or having less impact. 

On the flip side, projects that take an entirely system-based approach can be too high level and strategic, making it difficult to make practical changes at a service level. Teams can end up overwhelmed by the size of the system and the number of decisions to be made.