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    Intro to Story-Based Systemic Design

    The Base Framework

  • What is Story-Based Systemic Design?

    Story-Based Systemic Design (SBSD) is a participant-driven framework for systemic design that integrates systems thinking and storytelling in seeking community-developed solutions to wicked problems.

     

    The Human-Centered Design (HCD) framework facilitates change. Story-Based Systemic Design (SBSD) is a related approach that works to integrate systems thinking throughout the process. The goal is to help people use systemic design to change the systems they interact with to foster more desirable outcomes. Social innovation and sustainability are central to the process.

  • What's unique about SBSD?

    Story-Based Systemic Design differs from prominent design frameworks in three important ways:

    1

    Systems Thinking

    SBSD explicitly integrates system thinking processes throughout the framework. In other frameworks, it’s up to the facilitator to make this a part of the process.

    2

    Storytelling

    Storytelling is also included throughout the framework. Human beings communicate through stories. It’s how we’re wired. We tell stories in SBSD to help build a shared understanding of the challenges and circumstances we’re working with, to build mental models that help participants reconceive the possible, and to foster the engagement necessary for a participant-driven process.

    3

    Facilitative Approach

    SBSD shifts the process leader’s role. Instead of being the lead problem solver, they’re tasked with taking on a more facilitative role wherein they work to enable groups to solve their own problems. Participants bring their diverse knowledge and expertise, as well as the experience of living with the circumstances of the challenge, as they work collaboratively to develop solutions. The process leader helps them find their way as they guide the groups through a variety of lessons, processes, and exercises. The overarching goal is to empower groups and individuals to solve their own problems.

     

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    Climbing Arnstein's Ladder

    Arnstein's Ladder of Citizen Participation is a mental model that helps assess the level of power afforded to stakeholders in an effort. SBSD was designed with the intent of having highly participatory efforts where stakeholders are intentionally moved up the ladder to collaboratively develop plans that will both be implemented and supported for sustainable, beneficial outcomes.


    The SBSD process aims to tackle big . It requires commitment to the time and resources that are necessary to develop a shared understanding of the forces that are driving undesired outcomes. Those are table stakes for any effort that aims to deliver meaningful change.

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