Blog Post 2 — Systems and Models
After reading this week’s articles, watching the video, and listening to the podcast, I’ve come to the realization that systems thinkers have taught us that a system is a product of the interaction of its parts, not just the sum of its parts. What I mean by this is and in the context of design thinking; it’s that in order for a product, service, design idea etc, all parts of a system should work and interact together, rather than trying to do different elements by their own and then figuring out a way to add them together. We can see how Samsung had a drastic change in their TV market when they realized that TVs are not only a technological and entertainment device, but ultimately they are also a very important piece of furniture. With such an idea in mind, Samsung began to design TVs with the whole system in mind, working towards finding optimal ways in which different pieces could complement each other. The result, their iconic flat screen TVs, where the speakers are hidden and the technology works great and the design is a pleasing furniture piece. Essentially, system thinking impacts the framing of a problem and solution, by addressing the root from all of the different points of views and working towards a common solution with all processes and models in mind. Rather than working separately, system thinking aims at understanding the end product as a part of something bigger (a system) and figure a way to make it fit into such a system in the best possible way.
System thinking is also an amazing tool to foster collaboration within teams. As I’ve mentioned previously, when designing for a system, there are many different components which will be involved. Hence, different people, backgrounds, expertise, etc will be required in order to tackle the problem from the different perspectives in a quality manner. As it was stated in the Samsun article: “The design group should include people who understand social science, ethnography, engineering, and management.” Having the ability to bring different perspectives to the table, will open up the spectrum and essentially it will make it more effective to target the different components that make up the system. Understanding systems is not necessarily a trivial task, as many times teams and individuals are very focused on solving a very particular problem. Nevertheless, I believe that if we are able to pause for a second, and look at the problem in a wider context; then we will be able to identify the system it might fall into and the implications this brings. Although the end result might still be a very straightforward product (eg: a TV), if the design and implementation process is based on a system thinking approach, then the end result will most likely have a stronger overall impact in the end user, as ultimately it won’t only be solving such specific problem, but it will also contribute (hopefully positively)n towards the overarching system.
Financial Inclusion Models:
My models show financial inclusion and its different parts. Financial inclusion refers to efforts to make financial products and services accessible and affordable to all individuals and businesses, regardless of their personal net worth or company size. Financial inclusion strives to remove the barriers that exclude people from participating in the financial sector and using these services to improve their lives. (Grant, 2020). In the world, I think that especially in developing countries, there is a big financial gap, where many individuals still lack access to financial tools and resources. This is a major issue as many of the systems and models in our society are based in different steps which are based on the financial system. For example, someone who does not have a bank account will most likely won’t be able to invest in any sort of asset and hence it limits the possibilities to generate more wealth or income. Nevertheless, thanks to technology we have seen many companies (fintechs) which are working to develop tools and resources which aim to democratize access to financial services to those who currently lack them. I do believe that with technology we will keep on finding ways to build upon a more financially inclusive society which will generate more opportunities and will allow more people to take advantage of the benefits that the financial system provides.
https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/financial-inclusion.asp
