In the work on system innovation, there is often talk about methods that help us change systems. But before we can change, we must first understand. And sometimes it is precisely in the first phase, where we try to grasp the complexity, that the biggest mistakes occur. We jump too quickly to solutions, lock in problem formulations and do not capture all the voices.
This is where the Rich Pictures method comes in. A powerful but often underestimated tool for creating a common picture of a complex system. It is not about perfect illustrations, but about using visual thinking to make relationships, actors, conflicts, dependencies, emotions and flows visible that otherwise remain hidden.
What are Rich Pictures?
Rich Pictures is a method in systems thinking, where by drawing a visual map, often by hand, you try to capture a system with all its parts, relationships and perspectives.
It is not a flowchart or a process map, but a free form of visual storytelling where symbols, people, objects and connections interact in a way that does not require formal rules.
The point is that you think better together, and more multidimensionally, when you do it with the help of images.
Why use Rich Pictures?
When we work with system change, we need to understand not only what is in the system but how it is experienced, how it is connected and what affects what.
Here, Rich Pictures helps us with:
- Capturing soft factors such as emotions, frustrations, visions and culture.
- Making conflicts of interest and power structures visible.
- Including more perspectives in the understanding of the system.
- Creating a common story between different actors, especially in the early phases of mission-driven innovation processes.
It is precisely in this phase that the method has been used successfully, including in mission processes, where several different stakeholders have jointly explored complex societal challenges such as climate change, health or social sustainability.
What Rich Pictures captures and that is otherwise lost
In traditional systems analyses, we often focus on actors, resources and goals. But much of what really determines how a system works lies between these parts:
- Unclear roles, conflicting driving forces and culture clashes.
- Different views on what constitutes a problem or goal.
- Historical events that affect trust or collaboration.
Rich Pictures creates a surface where these elements can coexist. It is precisely in the “mess” that insights are often found, before we begin to structure.
But the method has its limitations
Despite its strengths, Rich Pictures is fundamentally a preparatory method. It provides deeper understanding, but if you do not supplement it with other tools, you risk getting stuck in insight without direction.
To drive action, methods such as:
- Systems Mapping, which structures relationships and shows impact.
- Theory U, which opens up for co-creation of new solutions.
- Leverage Points, which identifies powerful points of change.
- Three Horizons, which helps plan paths forward.
Together, these methods can form a powerful chain: where Rich Pictures are the starting point that sets the tone and directs the gaze towards the whole.
How to make a Rich Picture
1. Define the focus area
Start with an overarching question, e.g. “How does the clothing industry value chain work from a sustainability perspective?”
2. Involve different perspectives
Invite participants from different parts of the system such as producers, users, recyclers, innovators, decision-makers.
3. Draw by hand
On a large piece of paper, start drawing actors, flows, relationships, emotions, conflicts, obstacles and visions. All participants contribute.
4. Use symbols and humor
It should be easy to understand, even for those who were not there. Humor, metaphors and colors help.
5. Analyze together
What do you discover? What are the invisible obstacles? What surprised you? Which perspectives are missing?
6. Move on
Use the insights to move on with deeper mapping, framing of challenges or creating prototypes.
Example
From linear textile chain to regenerative textile ecosystem
A municipality wants to transform its public textile use to become circular. By bringing together buyers, textile designers, healthcare professionals, procurers, waste companies and civil society, they together create a Rich Picture.
They see how:
- Purchasing is driven by low price and short contracts.
- Staff lack influence over function and fit.
- End products end up in landfills despite the material being intact.
- Designers never see how the clothes are used or thrown away.
This leads to new insights and a desire to co-design a circular strategy where quality, recycling and local innovation are the watchwords. The Rich Picture becomes the starting point for the entire transition and a common map of why change is needed.
A method that opens doors
Rich Pictures is not about pretty visualizations but about opening doors. Doors to perspectives we miss, connections we don’t see, and solutions we haven’t yet formulated. It’s a method for thinking together with the pen, and thus also “feel” the system.
For anyone working with system innovation, mission, sustainable transformation or complex societal challenges, Rich Pictures is a first, but sometimes crucial, step towards real change.
