Kokonaisdesignia

Kokonaisdesignia is a Finnish term describing an approach to design that seeks to coordinate form, function, and context to create a coherent experience across products, services, and environments. It emphasizes that design outcomes are not the result of a single artifact but of an integrated system that includes users, materials, processes, and ecosystems.

The central idea is holistic thinking: consider the entire lifecycle, from materials and manufacturing to use, maintenance, and end-of-life. Principles often include user-centeredness, sustainability, accessibility, aesthetics, and cultural relevance, combined with cross-disciplinary collaboration. The goal is to align diverse elements so they reinforce one another rather than operate in isolation.

Kokonaisdesignia sits within related design paradigms such as systems design, service design, and sustainable design. It has roots in Nordic design philosophy, which values functionality, human scale, and social responsibility, and it has been developed further through contemporary practices that address complex, interconnected problems.

Practices associated with kokonaisdesignia include user research, stakeholder participation, service mappings, ecosystem analysis, and iterative prototyping across disciplines. Methods aim to reveal how different components interact and to test how changes in one area affect others, with a focus on long-term impact rather than isolated performance metrics.

Applications span product design, service design, architecture, urban planning, digital interfaces, and product–service systems. While it offers a comprehensive framework, challenges include coordinating multiple actors, managing scope, and measuring holistic outcomes.

In Finnish discourse, kokonaisdesignia is used to describe approaches that seek durable, inclusive, and environmentally responsible solutions through integrated design processes.