Toward design for complexity: an integrated framework for iterative co-evolution across complex socio-technical systems

Traditional design methods fall short for complex socio-technical systems where social and technical elements co-evolve and emergent behaviors resist decomposition. This paper proposes a seven-stage Design for Complexity Framework integrating systems science and design theory. Stages 3–6 form an iterative co-evolution space where modeling, architecture, and stakeholder co-design mutually shape problem and solution development. A healthcare example illustrates how the framework’s co-evolutionary approach addresses coordination failures that purely technical or purely participatory methods miss.