Human-Centered

Systems Thinking

—
Syllabus

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS

IDEO is a global design company that has

been honing the methods and mindsets of

design thinking for over 40 years.

In this course, you’ll combine analytical

tools with creative mindsets to make

sense of complex systems challenges and

design solutions that can shift systems.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 2

Table of Contents

P# intro

02
Overview

04
What’s Included

05
Course Calendar

06
Instructor

08
Testimonials

10 Learning Experience

P# lesson plans

11

Online Course 

Human-Centered

Systems Thinking

12
Course Outcomes

13 Lesson Plan

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 17

What’s Included

—
Applied learning from
15 video lessons
IDEO practitioners

5 required assignments
Work with expert coaches

15 discussion questions
Downloadable work-
book and toolkit with
activities, assignments,
6 tools and frameworks
and frameworks

3 activities

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 4

FOUNDATIONS IN DESIGN THINKING CERTIFICATE SYLLABUS
 Human-Centered Systems Thinking

Course Calendar
week lesson description assignment

Learn about the benefits of taking Define your

IntroDuction
4hrs / weeK Overview a human-centered approach
systems challenge
to systems thinking.

Explore mapping techniques

Lesson 1 Visualize
to gain a comprehensive
Create a systems map
4hrs / weeK the System view of your system.

Focus on the people in your

Lesson 2 Humanize
system and surface insights Conduct a stakeholder
4hrs / weeK the System about stakeholders. interview

Prioritize your ideas for

Lesson 3 Redesign
impact and deepen your Brainstorm solutions and
4hrs / weeK the System understanding of your system
build a small prototype
by testing real solutions.

ConClusion
Create feedback loops to build
Envision the future

4hrs / weeK Looking Ahead off your experiments and

of your system
design for lasting change.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 5

Meet Your Instructor

Learn from IDEO practitioners and business

leaders who’ve led thousands of projects across

industries and around the globe in areas including

business, technology, education, and design.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking

Instructor

Deirdre Cerminaro

Executive Design Director, IDEO

Deirdre is an Executive Design Director and co-lead of

the Systems & Strategy practice at IDEO. As a former

architectural designer with a background in business

and psychology, she has a knack for breaking down

complex systems and finding simple levers to drive

lasting change. Passionate about the power of systems

design to create a more equitable future, much of her

work at IDEO has focused on designing education

systems—from reimagining student services at a

community college in Ohio to creating programs to

deliver quality, affordable education at scale in Peru.

Deirdre holds a B.A. in Cognitive Science from Yale

University and an MBA from the Yale School of

Management. In her spare time, she can usually be

found outside with her dog or off on an adventure. She's

ridden her bicycle across the U.S. twice and hiked the

211-mile John Muir Trail.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 6

Expert Facilitators
Course Community

— —

Receive coaching from a team 
 Learn alongside a cohort 


of design thinking practitioners of hundreds of like-minded
with teaching and facilitation innovation professionals from
expertise who will guide around the world. Build your
discussions, foster peer professional network by making
connection, and provide valuable connections in each
feedback on your assignments. course.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 7

What Others Are Saying

“
For me, the most exciting application
of human-centered design is when it
“I've never met a designer who is able

to fuse the crafts of systems thinking

is aimed at reimagining the complex and human-centered design more
systems of our society—like education effectively. Deirdre effortlessly
or healthcare—that are full of promise sensemakes complex systems. And
but also fraught with inequalities. perhaps most importantly, she's a
This is also the space where systems teacher and a leader who is a master
design is needed the most.” at enabling others to embrace the
skills and mindsets of systems design.”

SaRah
Sean

Senior Director,
Principal,
KH Moon Center for
Pneumatic.Studio
a Functioning Society

FOUNDATIONS IN DESIGN THINKING CERTIFICATE SYLLABUS

What Others Are Saying

“
Public education, decentralized
finance, the energy ecosystem—these
are examples of systems too complex
“Deirdre is both process driven and
intuitively insightful when it comes
to systems design. She has helped
and distributed to shift through a top- us design complex systems at the
down solution. Deirdre is a dynamic service of reimagining a better
systems designer who shares her learning systems for all Peruvians...
knack for simplifying the complex she just rocks!”
and uncovering human-centered
opportunities for change.”

Sally
Hernan

VP Design Strategy, Chief Innovation Officer,

Fidelity Investments Intercorp

FOUNDATIONS IN DESIGN THINKING CERTIFICATE SYLLABUS

Learning Experience

See

Each lesson has a series of 3-5 minute

videos where instructors explain the why,
See Try what, and how of a specific topic and bring
to life case studies from around the globe.



Try


Our courses provide assignments and final

Reflect Share projects to help you try out new behaviors
online and through real-world projects.



Share


Share and discuss what you’re learning with

the teaching team and a global peer network
to build greater understanding through
virtual video calls and written discussion.



Reflect 


We’ve designed a variety of reflective

activities into our experiences to help you
make the connections from our online
content to your specific work challenges.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 10

COURSE

Human-Centered
Systems Thinking

Outcomes & Lesson Plan

5 wEEKS

4 hRS PER WEEK

View course

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 11

Human-Centered Systems Thinking

After this course, you’ll be able to...

Use mapping techniques to make

sense of complex situations.

Reframe problems from different

perspectives to spot new

opportunities for design.

Uncover the needs, challenges,

and motivations of the people in

your system.

Use frameworks to pick the most

impactful ideas and solutions.

Approach complex problems in a more

holistic and human way to design

solutions that can shift the system.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 12

INTRODUCTION
Overview
4 Hrs
4hrs

—
Gain an overview of the course and IDEO’s approach to

human-centered systems thinking.

1 VIDEO JOIN A COHORT GROUP

1. Zooming In and Out
In-course cohort groups known as
Learn about the benefits of bringing a Learning Circles are peer-led and provide
human-centered lens to systems thinking.
an opportunity to discuss assignments,
gain inspiration, and dive deeper into
course content.

1 ASSIGNMENT 2 PEER FEEDBACK MOMENTS

Define Your Systems Challenge — Choose a Provide feedback on the work of at least two
real systems challenge from your work to help of your peers' assignments for each lesson.
you practice and apply the mindsets and
methods outlined in this course. Define your
challenge in the form of a question. If you do
not have a systems challenge at work, you can
choose one as a model.

1 DISCUSSION
If you're familiar with systems thinking, what
are some ways that you bring this mindset to
your work? If you're not, how might your
work benefit from a systems view?

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS Lesson Plan 13

Lesson 1

Visualize the System

4 Hrs
4hrs

—
Explore a variety of mapping tools to make sense of complex
situations, uncover the root causes of problems, and create a
shared view of the system.

3 VIDEOS 3 RESOURCES

1. Uncover the Connections

Three Ways to Map a System

Network maps help you visualize the human Get guidance on how to choose the best
connections in a system. Learn to make sense map for your systems challenge.
of the relationships and interactions between
stakeholders.

Systems Map Gallery


Get inspired by examples of how others
2. Make It Visible
have visualized their systems.
Process maps enable you to see the full
picture so you can align on a solution.

Learn how to tap into multiple perspectives

to break down a complicated process.

3 DISCUSSIONS
3. Go Beneath the Surface
What are some other types of maps
Use the Iceberg Model to uncover the layers and tools you use to make sense of
of a complex problem. Focus on solving the complexity
root causes of a problem, not the symptoms.
What strategies do you use to align
different perspectives and build a
shared understanding
Have you noticed any patterns of behavior
in your own work? What might be the
underlying structures or mindsets that
1 ASSIGNMENT contribute to these behaviors?

Create a Systems Map—Choose one type of

systems map based on your systems challenge
and create the first iteration of it to share with
your peers. Reflect on what you learned from
the process.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS Lesson Plan 14

Lesson 2

Humanize the System

4 Hrs
4hrs

—
Discover creative techniques to surface insights about
stakeholders, reframe problems from different perspectives,

and spot opportunities for design.

3 VIDEOS 1 ASSIGNMENT

1. Listen to the System

Conduct a Stakeholder Interview—Choose
Design stakeholder interviews to understand one stakeholder from your systems map and
their experiences and perspectives. Bring conduct an in-depth interview. Then reframe
your systems maps to life and uncover the your systems challenge and identify an
needs, challenges, and motivations of the opportunity for redesign.

people impacted your system.

2. The Power of Perspective

Gain 5 techniques for reframing so you can

look at a system from different perspectives
and unlock new ways of seeing and thinking.

3 DISCUSSIONS
3. Look for Leverage Points
Think about the last system you
Discover the power of leverage points—places interacted with. What was your
where a small change can make an impact. experience and how did it influence
Learn how to find them in your systems map your perspective?
so you can look beyond the obvious solution.
What are techniques you like to use to
help you get a new perspective on a
challenging problem or situation
Think back to a situation where a small
shift, either in your personal or
professional life, had an outsized impact.
What was the change and how did it affect
you and/or others?

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS Lesson Plan 15

Lesson 3
Redesign the System
4 Hrs
4hrs

—
Get practical tips for how to pick the most impactful ideas,
experiment with the levers of design, and prototype solutions
with real people.

4 VIDEOS 2 RESOURCES
1. Activate the Levers of Design
Prototyping Primer

Explore the 6 most common design levers G et familiar with the process of
and learn how they can be used to redesign prototyping
systems in small but effective ways.

Prototyping Gallery

2. Prioritize for Impact
Get inspired by examples of how
Evaluate the potential impact and feasibility others have approached prototyping.
of different solutions and use a simple
framework for selecting the best ideas.

3. Experiment with the System

4 DISCUSSIONS
Take a systems approach to prototyping 

to test your ideas and deepen your Prototyping helps us explore how a
understanding of your system.

system works, feels, and responds to

4. Surface Your Learnings
change. Of these three outcomes, which
A 3-step process to draw out insights from resonates the most with you, and why
your prototype and determine next steps. Which levers do you have the most control
over in your organization? Which have
you used to create positive change and
improve outcomes
Think about a time when you or others
1 ASSIGNMENT made a decision or implemented an idea
that had unintended consequences. What
Test Solutions—Pick 1-2 ideas around each was the outcome
design lever and then choose 1 that is What is one small experiment you could
potentially high impact and easy to try today that would be meaningful to
implement. Build a small prototype, test it learn from?
out, and reflect on the outcome.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS Lesson Plan 16

Conclusion
Looking Ahead
4 Hrs
4hrs

—
Learn about the importance of creating learning loops to gather
feedback and identify early signs of progress.

1 VIDEO 1 DISCUSSION
1. Systems Change by Design
After learning about the mindsets and
In this video, we'll discuss how you can start methods of human-centered systems
to think about expanding your sphere of thinking, are there any big complex
influence and shifting the larger systems challenges that you feel inspired to take on?
beyond your organization.

1 ASSIGNMENT
Envision the Future—Imagine that you
learned from your experiment, and kept
iterating and experimenting over a period of
time. Write a story from the future about how
you were able to shift the system toward a
better outcome.

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS Lesson Plan 17

FOUNDATIONS IN DESIGN THINKING CERTIFICATE SYLLABUS

“At its heart, human-centered

systems thinking is not just a
methodology—it’s a mindset.

It’s a way of thinking and a

way of being.”

Deirdre Cerminaro

Executive Design Director,

IDEO

Human-Centered Systems Thinking SYLLABUS 18

 Learn MORE

www.ideou.com/systemsthinking

For any questions, reach out to us at

[email protected].

© IDEO 2022