[DSRP Evidence](https://dsrpevidence.org/)

# Addressing Complexity in the Pandemic Context: How Systems Thinking Can Facilitate Understanding of Design Aspects for Preventive Technologies

## Details

**Authors** Villius Zetterholm et al.

**Year** 2023

**Publisher** Informatics 10(1), art. 7, MDPI

**Kind of work** article

**Discipline** Information Science

**Secondary disciplines** Public Health

**Reading level** technical

**Kind of engagement** scholarly

[Read it at the publisher](https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics10010007) 
10.3390/informatics10010007

## In authors' words

### Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic constitutes a wicked problem that is defined by rapidly evolving and dynamic conditions, where the physical world changes (e.g., pathogens mutate) and, in parallel, our understanding and knowledge rapidly progress. Various preventive measures have been developed or proposed to manage the situation, including digital preventive technologies to support contact tracing or physical distancing. The complexity of the pandemic and the rapidly evolving nature of the situation pose challenges for the design of effective preventive technologies. The aim of this conceptual paper is to apply a systems thinking model, DSRP (distinctions, systems, relations, perspectives) to explain the underlying assumptions, patterns, and connections of the pandemic domain, as well as to identify potential leverage points for design of preventive technologies. Two different design approaches, contact tracing and nudging for distance, are compared, focusing on how their design and preventive logic are related to system complexity. The analysis explains why a contact tracing technology involves more complexity, which can challenge both implementation and user understanding. A system utilizing nudges can operate using a more distinct system boundary, which can benefit understanding and implementation. However, frequent nudges might pose challenges for user experience. This further implies that these technologies have different contextual requirements and are useful at different levels in society. The main contribution of this work is to show how systems thinking can organize our understanding and guide the design of preventive technologies in the context of epidemics and pandemics.

### What they set out to do (purpose)

A conceptual paper applying DSRP to the pandemic domain, comparing contact tracing and nudging-for-distance as design approaches for preventive technology.

### What they found (results)

Concludes that DSRP-structured systems thinking surfaces hidden design assumptions and locates leverage points for preventive technology in epidemic contexts.

## Commentary

### In short

Explicitly adopts the DSRP model as the study's operative framework for analysing pandemic preventive technology design — distinguishing pathogen/host/technology, modelling the pandemic as a nested system, tracing human–technology interactions, and contrasting designer and user perspectives.

### Response

Adopts DSRP as the study's operative framework for analyzing pandemic preventive technology, distinguishing pathogen, host and technology, treating the pandemic as a nested system, tracing human–technology interactions, and contrasting designer and user perspectives. An independent group in informatics using the four patterns as the analytic structure rather than citing them.

**Patterns it shows** D, S, R, P

**Added** 2026-08-21

**How to cite this** Villius Zetterholm et al. (2023). Addressing Complexity in the Pandemic Context: How Systems Thinking Can Facilitate Understanding of Design Aspects for Preventive Technologies. Informatics 10(1), art. 7, MDPI.