The document describes Roberta Tassi's work as a designer who uses system thinking and design tools to drive innovation processes. It provides examples of how she uses tools like user research, participatory design, and visual frameworks to understand problems, collaborate with stakeholders, and translate insights. The goal of her work is to develop systemic solutions through human-centered design processes. She believes design tools have potential to accelerate innovation when dealing with complex services involving many actors and channels.

1. SYSTEM THINKING
DESIGN TOOLS TO
DRIVE INNOVATION
PROCESSES
ROBERTA TASSI
BOBCATSSS 2015 BRNO
Participation – Innovation – Design

2. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHAT IS
YOUR JOB?

3. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
I AM A DESIGNER!
HMM...

4. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHAT KIND OF DESIGNER?

5. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI

6. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
A SYSTEMIC SOLUTION
TO EMPOWER COMMUNITY
HEALTH WORKERS
TO SAVE MORE LIVES.
SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
BACKPACK PLUS CHALLENGE

7. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI

8. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
UNDERSTAND
BACKPACK PLUS PROCESS
USER RESEARCH

9. CO-DESIGN EXERCISES
building the ideal toolkit and container
CONTEXTUAL IMMERSION
visit villages and healthcare providers
6WEEKSX2COUNTRIES
STAKEHOLDER INTERVIEWS
engage local partners and NGOs
SHADOWING
community health workers daily activities
Before CHWs,
having medicines to
treat malaria
available right in the
village was a
daydream.
CHW SUPERVISOR
The main challenge
is sensitising people
to look for health
services to timely
treat their illnesses.
CHW

10. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
INDIVIDUALCOMMUNITY
ASSESS
& TREAT
EDUCATE
RESPECT
TRUST
SUPERVISOR HEALTH CENTER DISTRICT
SUPPLIES
REPORT
COACH
SUPPORT
REPORT
REPORT
INSTRUCT
SUPPLIER
TRAINING SERVICE DELIVERY REVIEWING RESUPPLY REWARDINGRECRUITING UPGRADING
CHW
DIAGNOSTICS TOOLS ENABLERSCOMMODITIES
ASSESS TREAT EDUCATE REPORT
TRANSLATE
BACKPACK PLUS PROCESS
VISUAL FRAMEWORKS

11. BACKPACK PLUS PROCESS

12. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
COLLABORATE
BACKPACK PLUS PROCESS
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

13. SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES
envision the key service features
30PARTICIPANTSX3WORKSHOPS
CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAPPING
understand pain points and opportunities
ROUGH PROTOTYPING
imagine how the solution could be
ROLE PLAYING
simulate future scenarios
A DAY IN THE FIELD
immersion
NEW YORK
Alignment
KAMPALA
Ideation
NEW YORK
Strategy

14. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSISYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
BACKPACK PLUS OUTCOMES
SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
1) TOOLKIT
TOOLKIT PILOT
SERVICE MODEL
EMBLEM

15. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
So...WHAT IS
YOUR JOB?

16. INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · SERVICE STRATEGY
DESIGN THINKING · VISUAL STORYTELLIN
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN · CO-DESIGN · DE
IGN · SYSTEM THINKING · INDUSTRIAL DE
DESIGN · SERVICE DESIGN · DESIGN THIN
DESIGN RESEARCH · VISUAL STORYTELLIN
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN · UX · SERVICE
DESIGN · HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN · STR
EXPERIENCE STRATEGY · ETHNOGRAPHY

17. INDUSTRIAL DESIGN · SERVICE STRATEGY
DESIGN THINKING · VISUAL STORYTELLIN
PARTICIPATORY DESIGN · CO-DESIGN · DE
IGN · SYSTEM THINKING · INDUSTRIAL DE
DESIGN · SERVICE DESIGN · DESIGN THIN
DESIGN RESEARCH · VISUAL STORYTELLIN
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN · UX · SERVICE
DESIGN · HUMAN-CENTERED DESIGN · STR
EXPERIENCE STRATEGY · ETHNOGRAPHY
SYSTEM THINKING

18. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
Systems thinking is the art and science
of making reliable inferences about behaviours
by developing an increasingly deep
understanding of the underlying structure.
Barry Richmond, 1987
Set of things working
together as parts
of a mechanism or an
interconnecting
network; a complex
whole.
SYSTEM
THINKING
The process of
considering or reasoning
about something.
SYSTEM THINKING
WHAT IS IT?

19. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHAT IS IT?
UNDERSTAND
user research
COLLABORATE
participatory design
TRANSLATE
visual frameworks

20. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
COLLABORATE
participatory design
TRANSLATE
visual frameworks
WHAT IS IT?
UNDERSTAND
user research

21. SYSTEM THINKING USER RESEARCH
IMMERSE
SPEND TIME IN THE
CONTEXT OF USE AND
OPPORTUNITY.
HOW? #CONTEXTUAL IMMERSION #ROLE PLAYING
#PEERS OBSERVING PEERS #CO-DISCOVERY #…

22. Confused Supported Guided Positive Sad Scared
!
Calm Depressed
SYSTEM THINKING USER RESEARCH
CRAFT
DESIGN AND PREPARE
HANDS-ON ACTIVITIES
THAT CAN PUSH THE
CONVERSATION
DEEPER.
HOW? #CARD SORTING #EMOTIONAL JOURNEY
#ONE-WORD ASSOCIATION #ROUGH PROTOTYPING
#DRIVERS CONTINUUM #EMPATHY MAP #…

23. SYSTEM THINKING USER RESEARCH
UNCOVER
RECORD THE EXPLICIT
AND UNCOVER THE
IMPLICIT - LATENT
NEEDS.
HOW? #1-1 INTERVIEW #DAY IN THE LIFE
#DIARY STUDY #MOBILE DIARY STUDY #…
Every person* is different.
Solutions must be
flexible and personal.
* HCP / PwD
The patient is focused on
his daily routine; reflection is
mainly for physicians
Objective data are meaningless
without the context (life)

24. COLLABORATE
participatory design
WHAT IS IT?
UNDERSTAND
user research
SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
TRANSLATE
visual frameworks

25. SYSTEM THINKING VISUAL FRAMEWORKS
CLUSTER
IDENTIFY THE MAIN
INSIGHTS AND
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE
LANDSCAPE OF DATA.
HOW? #AFFINITY MAPPING #MIND MAP
#MOTIVATION MATRIX #SHARE STORIES #TOP 5
#COGNITIVE MAP #…

26. ACTIONHOPE
WILL
EPIPHANY
PAIN
EMPATHY
COMPASSION
HERO
REFLECTION
SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
SYSTEM THINKING VISUAL FRAMEWORKS
MODEL
SHAPE THE
INFORMATION INTO
MEANINGFUL
SYNTHETIC
REPRESENTATIONS.
HOW? #CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP #ECOSYSTEM MAP
#SYSTEM MODEL #USER ARCHETYPES #ACTORS MAP
#ACTIVITY MAP #EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK #…

27. SYSTEM THINKING VISUAL FRAMEWORKS
GROW
USE THE FRAMEWORKS
AS STARTING POINT
FOR IDEA GENERATION
AND VALIDATION
ACTIVITIES.
HOW? #CUSTOMER JOURNEY MAP #ECOSYSTEM MAP
#SYSTEM MODEL #USER ARCHETYPES #ACTORS MAP
#ACTIVITY MAP #EXPERIENCE FRAMEWORK #…

28. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHAT IS IT?
UNDERSTAND
user research
TRANSLATE
visual frameworks
COLLABORATE
participatory design

29. WORKSHOP
INTRODUCTION
GOALS &
EXPECTATIONS
ORGANIZATION
MODELING
Alignment on
the Vision
Enablers
& Blockers
Mindset
& Behaviors
NEW JOURNEY
RESOLUTIONS
PRIORITIZE
ENABLERS &
BLOCKERS
ENABLERS &
BLOCKERS
Alignment on the
Reorganization
Identification of the things
inherent in organizational
structure, culture and practices
that can facilitate or jeopardize
realizing strategic goals
Assessment of current state, best
practices and repeatable
manifestations of the strategic
vision
Putting together goals, modeling
and sharing a common
understanding of the organization
as a whole
Synthesizing all the previous
exercises and channeling
outcomes into personal actions
Test-driving the conclusions
from Day 1 in real-life business
challenges
What to do next: practical items
to bring back into the
organization post-workshop
Business
Cases
DAY 1
McKinsey
PRESENTATION
& PA CASE
WORKING ON
BUSINESS CASE I
ACTION
LIST
REVISIT
YOUR GOAL
Tactical
Actions
DAY 2
PRACTICAL ASPIRATIONAL OPERATIONAL
PERSONAL PERSONAL PERSONAL PERSONAL
COMPARE, CONTRAST
& HYBRID
PRINCIPLES
SCORECARDS
PRINCIPLES:
WHAT THEY MEAN
FOR US
WORKING ON
BUSINESS CASE II
SYSTEM THINKING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
PLAN
DESIGN THE
PARTICIPATORY
SESSIONS BY
PREPARING TAILORED
EXERCISES AND TOOLS.
HOW? #WORKSHOP OUTLINE #AGENDA
#DESIGN TOOLKIT INSPIRATIONS #…

30. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
SYSTEM THINKING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
RUN
BALANCE PLENARY,
INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM
EXERCISES TO GET
BETTER OUTCOMES.
HOW? #DESIGN GAMES #GROUP SKETCHING
#STORYBOARDING #DOT VOTING #MAKE & BREAK
#PAPER PROTOTYPING #…

31. SYSTEM THINKING PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
ENJOY
GENERATE POSITIVE
ENGAGEMENT!
HOW? #ROLE PLAYING #ROLE BADGES
#ELEVATOR PITCHES #TOMORROW’S HEADLINES
#…

32. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
user research
COLLABORATE
participatory design
TRANSLATE
visual frameworks
UNDERSTAND
HOW CAN WE DO IT?
DESIGN
TOOLS

33. www.servicedesigntools.org

34. SERVICEDESIGNTOOLS OBJECTIVESSERVICEDESIGNTOOLS BACKGROUND

35. SERVICEDESIGNTOOLS OBJECTIVES
AN OPEN COLLECTION OF TOOLS
TO SUPPORT KNOWLEDGE SHARING.
DESIGN GAMESROLE PLAYISSUE CARDSINFORMANCE
CUSTOMER
JOURNEY MAP
SPECIFICATIONROLE SCRIPT GUIDE LINESPLATES
RACTER
FILE
STORYTELLING MOTIVATION
MATRIX
NITY
RAM
GROUP
SKETCHING
PRINT INTERACTION TABLE SYSTEM MAP OFFERING MAP
PERSONAS
NITIVE
KTHROUGH
CONSTRUCTIVE
INTERACTION
EXPERIENCE
PROTOTYPE
MOCK UP WIZARD OF OZ
ECOLOGY MAP MIND MAP PROCESS MAP
ISSUE CARDS
HEURISTIC
EVALUATION
SERVICE
PROTOTYPE
ROUGH
PROTOTYPING
DESIGN GAMESROLE PLAYISSUE CARDSINFORMANCE
CUSTOMER
JOURNEY MAP
SPECIFICATIONROLE SCRIPT GUIDE LINESTEMPLATES
CHARACTER
PROFILE
STORYTELLING MOTIVATION
MATRIX
AFFINITY
DIAGRAM
GROUP
SKETCHING
BLUEPRINT INTERACTION TABLE SYSTEM MAP OFFERIN
PERSONAS
ECOLOGY MAP MIND MAP
ISSUE CARDS

36. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
SERVICEDESIGNTOOLS OBJECTIVES
A STRUCTURED LEARNING PLATFORM
TO GUIDE DISCOVERY AND ADOPTION.

37. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI

38. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
SERVICEDESIGNTOOLS FACTS
TWITTER
2K+ FOLLOWERS
1 PAPER:
VISUALTILES,
COMMUNICATION
TOOLS FOR SERVICE
DESIGN
Diana, Pacenti, Tassi
“It helped me understanding
how to run co-design sessions
with children in the degraded
areas.” (2015, January 27th)
LECTURES & CONFERENCES
MENTIONS

39. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
medialab.hva.nl/toolkit

40. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
www.designkit.org

41. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
http://designthinkingforlibraries.com/

42. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHEN DO WE NEED THESE TOOLS?
EVERY TIME WE DEAL
WITH COMPLEX SERVICES
INVOLVING A LARGE NUMBER
OF ACTORS AND CHANNELS.

43. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
WHY?
KNOW PEOPLE
NEEDS IS
NECESSARY
TO COME UP
WITH THE RIGHT
ANSWERS.
VISUALISATION
TECHNIQUES
HELP GIVING
TANGIBILITY TO
INTANGIBLE
ITEMS.
ENGAGE ALL THE
RELEVANT
STAKEHOLDERS
IN THE PROCESS
IS KEY TO
SUCCEED.
1 2 3

44. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
SYSTEM THINKING BENEFITS
DESIGN TOOLS HAVE
A HUGE POTENTIAL

45. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
DESIGN TOOLS ARE
ENABLERS
SYSTEM THINKING BENEFITS

46. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
DESIGN TOOLS ARE
ACCELERATORS
SYSTEM THINKING BENEFITS

47. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
DESIGN TOOLS ARE
HUMAN-CENTERED
SYSTEM THINKING BENEFITS

48. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI

49. SYSTEM THINKING ROBERTA TASSI
YOU DON’T START FROM SCRATCH
JUST REMEMBER THAT

50. T h a n k s