Design, Systems and The Settings That Influence Us

Space shapes systems, so systems change requires we understand space.

In this post, I’m going to use two contexts to illustrate why and how settings affect so much of our lives and why any systems change must account for them if we are to be successful.

Take two examples: education, and healthcare. In an educational context, the setting might be the classroom. In both cases, consider the following physical features that both influence the experience within a care or educational context:

• Windows (access to natural light to see and refresh)
• Noise (distractions for learning or for rest and recovery)
• Privacy (to preserve dignity)
• Room to move (including space for equipment and other people)
• Safety (to try things out, to protect ourselves)
• Dignity (to fail and grow, to suffer and recover)

These conditions both supportive for learning and good health. While we may not always have these conditions in abundance, their presence shapes the quality of our interactions..

Systems Thinking for Boundaries and Purpose

Systems thinking involves consideration of the way things interact within boundaries for a purpose. The settings we inhabit are among the most obvious design elements that shape our systems and are there for a purpose. Yet, ironically, I find that settings are among the most ignored aspects of understanding human behaviour when we look at systems thinking.

Considering our two examples, the experience of care, dignity, and peace a vulnerable patient receives in a private room versus a shared space is considerable. Being stuck in a hallway for hours after being admitted to an emergency department is not only demeaning, but strangely isolating for many patients even if the level of care is comparable (although often it’s not).

In education, we see the opposite: sequestering learners from each other can reduce the opportunity for people to share, exchange, and develop ideas on projects with each other. Likewise, for deep study and reflection, quiet, secluded spaces might be more advantageous. In both cases, the issue is less about motivating learners or providing tools and techniques, but creating the optimal spaces for learning.

These are more than just about physical conditions. For a person with a disability, accessibility plays an outsized role in shaping the ability to use, benefit from, and engage with the spaces around us.

Hospital Navigation: Case Studies

Consider how navigating a hospital can be a challenge for an able-bodied person, nevermind someone with any form of physical impairment or in distress. Lets look at this through the eyes of someone with impaired vision.

A series of studies looking at wayfinding and visual impairment highlight how simple navigation of a setting is not so simple. Rousek and Hallbeck (and colleagues) tried simulating visual impairments, revealing critical design flaws in hospital environments, including inadequate lighting, poor signage placement, confusing architectural layouts, and decorative elements that created major wayfinding disturbances – issues that increased the risk of injuries, disorientation, and patient stress. Similarly, research by Bradley and Dunlop revealed that navigation instructions tailored to how different populations (sighted vs. visually impaired) actually experience and describe environments resulted in significantly reduced mental workload and faster navigation times when matched appropriately. Together, these findings suggest that thoughtful physical space design that considers diverse navigation needs not only improves wayfinding efficiency but can directly contribute to patient safety, reduce anxiety and frustration, and potentially improve health outcomes by minimizing the cognitive burden and physical risks associated with navigating complex healthcare environments.

The research underscores the importance of evidence-based design that incorporates universal accessibility principles, as enhancements for the most visually impacted individuals often benefit all users through improved spatial organization, clearer signage systems, and more intuitive architectural layouts.

Classrooms and Learning: Case Studies

There is an abundance of practice-based research that indicates that classroom environmental factors—specifically lighting, noise levels, and overall setting—significantly influence students’ academic achievement, well-being, and performance. Studies have shown that full-spectrum and blue-enriched lighting can enhance concentration, memory, and cognitive performance, leading to improved academic outcomes . Conversely, inadequate lighting has been linked to decreased focus and lower psychological well-being . Regarding noise levels, practices promoting quietness, such as silent sitting, have been associated with increased student focus and reduced stress and anxiety. Furthermore, the overall classroom setting, including flexible seating arrangements and calming spaces like “calm down corners,” has been found to support student well-being, executive function, and academic performance . These findings underscore the importance of thoughtfully designed classroom environments in fostering student success.

Settings and Systems

Systems include spaces. Our offices, schools, homes, and communities are all systems where were work, play, live and learn. They need to be considered alongside the social part of systemic change, by accounting for more than what people do, but where they do it. Together, we’ll see not only how people can change, but to what extent.

Consider not only the change you wish to see, but the settings in which that change takes place or the decisions are made to act. In doing so, you’ll begin to see how spaces and settings affect systems and why many efforts for systemic change fail to achieve the desired outcomes. These interventions may be designed for people, but not people in contexts or settings.

Channel a real architect or your inner architect and consider how systems thinking about space can help foster systems change.

References:

If you’re interested in the visual sight and wayfinding research, see below for the references.

Bradley, N. A., & Dunlop, M. D. (2005). An experimental investigation into wayfinding directions for visually impaired people. Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, 9(6), 395-403. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00779-005-0350-y

Rousek, J. B., & Hallbeck, M. S. (2011). The use of simulated visual impairment to identify hospital design elements that contribute to wayfinding difficulties. International Journal of Industrial Ergonomics, 41(5), 447-458. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ergon.2011.05.002

Rousek, J. B., Koneczny, S., & Hallbeck, M. S. (2009). Simulating visual impairment to detect hospital wayfinding difficulties. Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 53(8), 531-535. https://doi.org/10.1518/107118109X12524442635509

Photo credits:  Armand Khoury on Unsplash,  zhang shuaizhang on Unsplash, and yěyè yēyé on Unsplash