This book engages with one of the defining questions of our time: how can we become more capable of shaping change in ways that truly improve our world—politically, ecologically, socially, and institutionally? We believe design holds a crucial key. Every deliberate act of change is, in essence, an act of design. Yet if design is to meet the demands of our era, it must transform itself. It must learn not merely to create solutions, but to engage deeply with the complexity that defines our world.

In these pages, we present Systems Oriented Design (SOD): an evolving methodology that reaches far beyond the traditional boundaries of design professions. Developed and refined through years of teaching design students with industry partners, SOD invites participation from nurses, architects, bankers, engineers, dancers, CEOs, policymakers, and others. Complex challenges cannot be addressed from within disciplinary silos; they require shared languages and collaborative ways of seeing. SOD is both a methodology and a mindset: a way of understanding, engaging with, and intervening in complex systems. Informed by diverse systems theories yet grounded in the core sensibilities of design, it remains dynamic and adaptable. SOD is not reserved for professional designers; it is accessible to anyone committed to responsible and transformative change.

There is no single “right” way offered in this book. Instead, we share experiences, practices, reflections, and perspectives that together form a living body of knowledge. Our intention is not to prescribe, but to empower—to equip readers with the orientation, tools, and confidence needed to participate thoughtfully in shaping the complex futures we collectively inhabit.

Birger Sevaldson [Dipl NCAD, PhD] is Professor Emeritus at the Institute of Design at AHO - Oslo School of Architecture and Design at the Institute of Design. He is a design researcher and educator with practice from a broad field of design and architecture. As a design researcher, he focuses on design processes for uncertainty and complexity. He has defined Systems Oriented Design as a designerly way of systems thinking and systems practice. He was the founder of the RSD symposia (Relating Systems Thinking and Design) and co-founder of the Systemic Design Association (SDA).

New Edition: Designing Complexity