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Issue #120

Newsletter_______

Design as a method for systems change

In October, the Relating Systems Thinking and Design Symposium took place in Canada.

As the parent of a toddler, let's just say there were some systemic barriers to being able to attend in person – but I followed along with interest, and this newsletter is part reflection on the connection between design and systems change inspired by the symposium, and part reflection on some of the work we've been doing this year in helping systems practitioners adopt design-led approaches to change.

It's still accurate to say that most design work optimises existing systems: faster processes, clearer communication, smoother journeys. But what if streamlining a broken system just helps it discriminate more efficiently?

On the other hand, traditional systems change work identifies leverage points and interventions without necessarily having a wider suite of methods and tools to enable communities to shift it.

When we only improve experiences within broken systems, we make them more bearable and therefore more durable.

When we only analyse systems without practical tools for transformation, it can be hard to know how to effect the change we know is needed.

We've brought systems thinking and design together across many projects over the years, and this newsletter presents new work and new thinking which demonstrated pairing design-led approaches with systems thinking in the energy sector.

Design doesn't just need to be about optimisation. It can be a positive force for disruption and change, too.

Chris Marmo
Chief Executive Officer

How Human-Centred Design Effects Systems Change

Human-centred design is a powerful systems change method — if we choose to use it that way.

Beautiful service maps and user journeys can feel like progress. But unless we address the deeper structures holding problems in place—mental models, power dynamics, resource flows—change rarely sticks.

At Paper Giant, we’re learning that human-centred design offers powerful tools for systemic transformation, when we use them deliberately. Ethnography makes hidden beliefs visible. Co-design builds unlikely alliances. Prototyping creates evidence for policy change. These aren't just design methods—they’re practical levers for shifting the conditions that sustain complexity and inequality.

In this article, we explore how applying HCD across five systemic conditions—beliefs, relationships, power, resources and policy—can lead to deeper, lasting impact.

→ R ead the full article

Mapping Victoria’s energy future through consumer participation

As Victoria transitions toward a more sustainable energy future, we worked with the newly reformed SEC to make sense of a key challenge: how to better harness consumer energy resources (CERs)—like rooftop solar, electric vehicles and hot water heat pumps—across the state.

CERs offer significant potential for both individual households and the broader energy system. But coordinating them at scale is complex. That’s where our systems thinking and stakeholder engagement came in. Through collaborative mapping and in-depth interviews with government, industry, and advocacy groups, we built a detailed picture of how value could be created across homes, communities, and the energy market.

What we delivered:

A living systems map capturing the dynamics of CER uptake and orchestration
Key ‘leverage stories’ to guide SEC’s strategic interventions
Strengthened relationships across Victoria’s energy ecosystem

🔍 Learn how co-creation and systems thinking can unlock opportunities in complex transitions.

→ Explore the full project story.

Stay Connected

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We are a design and technology agency that helps organisation understand, imagine and change.

Paper Giant acknowledges the Wurundjeri and Boonwurrung people of the Kulin nation, and the Ngunnawal people as the traditional owners of the lands on which our offices are located, and the traditional owners of country on which we meet and work throughout Australia. We recognise that sovereignty over the land has never been ceded, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.