Biologist turned designer.

Shifting from cellular systems to system maps

This diagram is the first systems map I ever created (unknowingly).  This is what I call my "Biology Epiphany" from high school, where I finally understood that all the processes inside a human cell were happening simultaneously, and I mapped it out onto one sheet of paper the night before the exam.  I was incredibly proud of myself for figuring out how the different processes were connected, and how the availability of internal and external biomaterials affected the cell functions.  I thought mapping the cell systems meant I was destined to become a biologist, when in reality, this foreshadowed me becoming a designer.

Just like how the cells in our bodies communicate with each other and constantly work together to maintain equilibrium, humans exist in complex and intertwined social, ecological, and technological systems that influence how we act.  We are influenced by our past memories, our mental models that we have developed about how our world works, and our relationships with each other.

When approaching problem solving with a human-centered lens, it is important to look beyond the immediate problem and see what role it plays in the larger system. Social challenges in our world do not exist in isolation, they are caused and affected by the actions and mindsets of different communities of people. 

In order to design for these challenges, we not only need to understand how individuals' involvement in different systems shapes their lives and experiences, but we need to promote action from multiple different actors within the system, and connect these people and organizations together to work towards a better future.

The cells in our bodies work hard to keep us alive, and communication is constantly flowing.  Humans have the potential to harness the power that is already existing within them, and use it to create positive systemic change.