The societal and technical problems faced by low-income markets are increasingly seen as more complex due to environmental, social, and economic concerns. The enormous negative impacts of complex societal problems and the inability of designers to deal with complexity cannot be overcome without a paradigm shift in how we understand, engage with, and teach about such issues. In light of this challenge, one can pose the question, “What is the best approach to deal with a complex societal problem?”. A traditional approach to deal with a complex problem is to simplify it. Alternatively, as here, research may aim to provide a novel approach to handle complex societal problems, thereby embracing complexity. Thus, this thesis contends that embracing complexity represents a significant shift from the traditional design approach to a systems design approach for sustainable development. To help designers to bring about such a transition, the four main contributions provided in this doctoral research are: (I) Exploring the integration of systems thinking into design, particularly by adopting a systems design approach to sustainable energy solutions for low-income markets; (II) Extending the scope of product-service system design through the introduction of four major systems thinking tenets: a holistic perspective; a multilevel perspective; a pluralistic perspective; and complexity-handling capacity; (III) Proposing heuristic tools for the integration of systems thinking into design, which allows for developing new and strengthening existing systems design approaches; and, (IV) Increasing capacity building for a systems design approach to address complex societal problems through design education.@en

There is a consensus among scholars and practitioners that energy solutions, such as electricity services and related products and systems, are paramount to the ability of nations to overcome environmental and social issues. As a result, policymakers and problem solvers in emerging economies have shown a keen interest in the transition to sustainable energy systems. Nevertheless, the design of sustainable energy solutions in low-income markets presents many challenges, such as those related to limited financial resources and poor infrastructure. In lowincome markets, the adoption of a systems-oriented approach to product-service combinations may represent a promising alternative to traditional design approaches and result in a more socially and environmentally sound path to economic development. Building on design theory grounded in systems theory, this paper analyzes multiple aggregation levels of the sociotechnical system of a low-income energy efficiency program in Brazil. In this study, the authors examined findings from the literature, carried out field observations, and had discussions with practitioners and experts. The study identifies constraints that hinder energy solutions that could achieve higher levels of socioeconomic and environmental benefits in low-income energy markets. Based on the findings, the paper provides insights into sustainable energy transitions and concludes that low-income energy efficiency programs can be improved through design-led policy and stakeholder collaboration.

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Societal problems concern the complexity of technical, organisational, social, and political issues. The enormous negative impacts of these problems and the inability of problem solvers to deal with high levels of complexity cannot be overcome without a paradigm shift in how we understand and engage with such issues. Two domains have been helpful in bringing about such a shift: Systems Thinking and Design. Although these domains express mutual interest in social–technical systems and complex problem solving, in the literature there are few attempts of bringing the compatibility between them to the attention of designers. This paper aims to contribute to this endeavour by uncovering the role of integrating systems thinking for design, and by providing an overview of the emerging field of systems-oriented design approaches. An extensive literature review outlines significant aspects underlying systems thinking to support its use and further development in design. This paper provides a conceptual framework structured in five clusters: mindset, methodology set, knowledge set, skill set and tool set. The framework is meant to assist designers in integrating systems thinking into design and thereby enable them to better handle complex societal problems.@en

Design education has devoted little attention to the topic of societal systems transformation in the context of sustainable development. This paper reports on a master‘s-level course that aims to build the capacity for design engineering students to adopt a Systems Design Approach comprised of the integration of Product-Service System (PSS) and Systems Thinking, in order to develop sustainable energy systems concepts. We identify key factors for skilful performance when designing solutions for complex societal problems. The findings suggest that design approaches grounded in systems thinking are promising for dealing with the increasing complexity of the societal problems which future generations of design professionals are expected to solve. An Open Learning E-Package (OLEP) was offered to support Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to introduce Product-Services Systems and Distributed Renewable Energy (DRE) models into their design curricula. We argue that capacity building for a systems design approach to complex societal problems, such as those faced in low-income energy markets, can support future generations of design engineers to take an active role in the development and widespread implementation of sustainable energy systems.@en

Faced with large-scale wicked problems that include global warming, resource depletion, poverty and humanitarian emergencies, society needs new and more appropriate reasoning models. In particular, these problems pose unfamiliar challenges in contexts with poor financial and infrastructural resources. Systems-oriented design (SOD) is widely recognised as one promising approach that can support design engineers in addressing these complex societal problems. This paper explores the application of SOD in the development of product- service system (PSS) concepts by student teams in a multidisciplinary master course. The resulting twelve concepts were analysed using a case study approach and protocol analysis, describing the advantages and context- and process-related challenges of using SOD. From an educational perspective, the results demonstrate that while SOD provides students with a broad knowledge base and skills for addressing problems in complex societal contexts, there remains a need to introduce appropriate scope and depth to the design engineering curricula, making the transition from traditional product design a challenging one.@en