Day 5: Characterizing Systems
Let's gather some of the thoughts that have been percolating around systems. Let's assume that you are designing the introductory page of a zine on systems, so the frame you're working within is about the size on 5x3 index card. I'm suggesting a "zine," because they can be playful (or serious), have graphic elements (or not), etc., but the key is the small size as constraint. At this point, we're designing the page, jotting down ideas (and images) that will go on the page, and then drafting the page.
Some ideas for the page: a characterization of systems. A list of the key ideas in systems. Some images that illustrate your characterization. Some examples.
If that falls out quickly, pick a key concept like Boundaries, and do the same thing, drafting ideas for the design of a zine page on system boundaries. Think of analogies that suggest visuals and insights, like cell walls and containers. Why are boundaries important, and what role do they play (in systems or our conceptions of systems)? Etc.
Once again, reserve some time (in your 15-20 minutes) to step back and reflect on what you learned.
"Honor thy error as hidden intention" - Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt, Oblique Strategies
"A system is an interconnected set of elements that is coherently organized in a way that achieves something"— Donella Meadows
"We often fall into the trap of thinking of a boundary as something that separates one thing from another. We should rather think of a boundary as something that constitutes that which is bounded." - Paul Cilliers
Two pages of Dan Klyn's BASIC zine
Discussion
Spoilers ahead, so save reading this section until after you have completed this exercise.
Here are two wonderful examples of the work done:
Image credit: Seb Hans Systems zine cover page
Image credit: Alexander Janßen Systems zine overview page
When I created the pages of the zine shown at the top of this page, I took considerably longer that 20-30 minutes! There, I was addressing both the role of sketching (and otherwise getting our mental models out where we can interact with them), and an initial characterization of systems in terms of parts and relationships, where those relationships aren't only structurally constituitive and integrative, but dynamic, and give rise to the capabilities and properties of the system.