Understanding the Indirect Effects of Interactive Systems Within Systems of Systems

Abstract

Until recently, research into the sustainable design of interactive systems has primarily focused on the direct material impact of a system, through improving its energy efficiency and optimizing its lifecycle. Yet the way a system is designed and marketed often has wider repercussions, such as rebound effects, and systemic change in practices. These effects are harder to assess (and to anticipate) than the direct physical impact of the construction and use of the system itself. Current tools are unable to account for the complexity of these effects: the underlying causal mechanisms, their multi-level nature, their different temporalities, and the variety of their consequences (environmental and societal). This is why we are seeking to develop a specific methodology and tool, inspired by systemic design and system dynamics. These are intended for decision-makers and designers of interactive systems within systems of systems (for example, in the fields of agricultural robotics or public transportation). In this paper, we present this modeling approach and our prototype tool through the example of a second-hand clothing sales platform.