Designing for Learning and Complexity with Jen Briselli

Jen Briselli’s journey into service design didn’t start with design at all—it started in a physics classroom. From studying the fundamental workings of the universe to teaching high schoolers how to grasp complex physics concepts, Jen’s interdisciplinary curiosity has always driven her path. That same intellectual agility eventually led her to discover information design, dive headfirst into Carnegie Mellon’s legendary design program, and eventually rise to executive leadership at Mad*Pow. Now co-founder of Topology, Jen continues to explore how systems thinking, complexity science, and human-centered design intersect to build adaptive organizations. In this episode, Jen and Lou preview her upcoming talk at Advancing Service Design 2025 and unpack why learning—not certainty—should be the North Star of design practice. She shares how service designers can operate more effectively by zooming out to see systems-level patterns and zooming back in to take practical action. From breaking down spatial and temporal complexity to explaining how constraints inhibit organizational learning, Jen reframes service design as an adaptive, constantly evolving practice. Whether you're a seasoned designer or simply service-design curious, this episode will stretch your thinking about what service design is—and what it can become. What You'll Learn from this Episode: How service designers can apply complexity science and systems thinking to their everyday work Why adaptive organizations need learning-focused design approaches, not rigid frameworks The difference between spatial and temporal complexity—and how each affects your design choices How to recognize and remove the constraints that prevent organizational learning and change What Jen learned by transitioning from physics to design, and how that background still shapes her work Why service design is evolving beyond traditional boundaries—and what it takes to practice it effectively today Quick Reference Guide: 0:19 - Meet Jen and learn how a grocery-store encounter changed the course of her career 6:35 - Jen decided to pursue a Masters in Design at Carnegie Mellon 12:14 - 5 Reasons you should be using the Rosenverse 14:54 - Jen’s talk at Advancing Service Design, “Learning is the North Star: Service Design for Adaptive Capacity,” inspires us to zoom in and out 18:17 - Navigating time and space 23:54 - The role of systems thinking 26:44 - Adaptive capacity and learning 33:59 - Jen’s gift for the audience Resources and Links from Today's Episode: Advancing Service Design virtual conference - November 19-20, 2025 https://rosenfeldmedia.com/advancing-service-design/ Oblique Strategies The book: https://www.amazon.com/Oblique-strategies-hundred-worthwhile-dilemmas/dp/B0000EEZG9 The physical cards: https://enoshop.co.uk/products/oblique-strategies?variant=51221629501780 An online generator: https://stoney.sb.org/eno/oblique.html More info from WIkipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oblique_Strategies Quotes: “Dick Buchanan is my cult of choice when it comes to how I orient myself to thinking about the practice of design.” “Good teachers are all good designers.” “Get in the habit of asking ‘what’s happening?’ a little earlier.” “Get good at not needing to predict the future because you can adapt so effectively.” “Imagine or anticipate what are a few steps further - second, third, fourth order consequences of things.” “Expand a little earlier and a little later in your timeline and see what that uncovers. Do the same thing with your spatial maps.”