Mission statement

 
Complexity is a general feature that governs design systems in their role of designed systems as well as that of systems that design. The investigation of the emergence and development of various forms of complex organisations is fundamental for an understanding of the design process in general, and the design of complex services and systems in particular.

Therefore, the general purpose of the research laboratory is to support research and academic activities linked to the analysis and design of interventions in complex systems and the design of services at all levels of organisational complexity.

The laboratory focuses on the whole range of the more general areas of system complexity and related theoretical examples, in particular the problematic design areas, and more specifically, in holistic, and using systemic 'language' organisational approaches of conception, investigation, understanding, analysis, and design of complex and autonomous systems and services as they relate to various phenomena and problems in the following fields of knowledge:

• Complexity of Interactive Organisations
• Complexity of Design Processes
• Theories and Methodologies of Design
• Systemic Theory and Self-organisation
• Service Design
• Social Innovation Design
• Design for All
• Information Design
• Design for Sustainability
• Organisational Theory

The objectives and services of the CSSD laboratory can be broken down as follows

• Teaching related courses of the departmental undergraduate and postgraduate programmes (master’s level).
• Supervision of the undergraduate diploma thesis and of master’s theses
• Supervision of doctoral research
• Conducting and participating in summer schools and programs of remote education and lifelong learning.
• The writing of educational aids, and the creation and provision of teaching and pedagogical material of high quality
• Conducting basic and applied research.
• Dissemination of research results through publications in international journals and conferences.
• Organisation and participation in speeches, seminars and workshops.

The services offered by the laboratory are:

• Support for research projects of the department, both funded and unfunded
• Representation and participation of the department in national and international collaborative research and development programmes.
• Design of the services provided by the Department
• The promotion of innovation and the implementation of projects aimed at strengthening national and local competitiveness through a thorough analysis of the existing situation and the design of new/innovative services aiming at new/innovative jobs.
• Support of the collaborations of the department/laboratory with other research groups, sectors and laboratories, such as student exchanges, hospitality and support of scientists, guest professors, etc.
• Participation in international networks for the study of complex bio-cognitive systems, service design, systemic approaches to design, and organizational design.

Research Areas

• Complexity, Self-Organisation and Autonomy, Organisational Analysis and Theoretical Underpinnings of Complex Interactive (Bio-Cognitive) Systems.
• Embodied Cognition aAnd Interaction, Emotional and Aesthetic Interaction, Creativity In DESIGN
• Design Theory and Methodology, Autonomy and Design
• Naturalistic Ontologies and Epistomologies Of Complex Systems and Organizations
• Design of Organizations, Design of Socio-Technical and Artificial Systems and Environments, Design of Autonomous Systems
• Service Design, Social Innovation Design, Design for Circular Economy,
• Entrepreneurship and Design for the Sharing Economy
• Design for Sustainability, and inclusion of Tacit knowledge and Traces
• Collaborative, Participatory and Open Design, Desgin for  UX, Speculative approaches and Design Fiction as research methods for Service design in Transformation design
• Design of Accessible Services, Products and Systems, and the production of International, European and Greek standards(ISO, CEN/CENELEC, ELOT), especially those related to services and their design, and that are concerned with accessibility for a wide range of consumers, including the most vulnerable.    
• Information Design, especially for the better understanding and communication of service offerings
• Making and Craft and its place in Design
• Street Art