"Dave changed the way I approach building products...It wasn't just about tools or methods, it was about unlocking better ways of thinking."
SYSTEMS THINKING FOR DESIGNERS WITH DEADLINES
A video course library for designers that want to design more than just screens, but design connected and unified products.
Change how you think about design?
Right now, you design with screens, colors, words, boxes. After System Design Lab, you’ll design the hidden system underneath that makes or breaks a product.
If you change your thinking, you can’t go back.
One of the most in-demand DESIGN skills HAS almost nowhere to learn it...
45+
of hiring managers rank systems thinking in their top 5 desired skills in the AI era.
~55%
of current senior design job postings mention system thinking.
Until now
Leveling up systems thinking for teams at
"Dave is not only an expert at what he does...he can break down the complex concepts and ideas around systems thinking in ways that make them less daunting to start applying to my everyday work."
"Doing one of Dave's courses changed how I design and with it, the trajectory of my career. I can't recommend this enough!"
A lot of systems thinking courses and articles are written by people who study systems, not designers working under pressure in 2-week sprints. System Design Lab turns systems thinking into an everyday practice, not just academic theory.
Why learn from me?

I’m Dave Connis, founder of System Design Lab, and I didn’t learn what I teach in a bootcamp or classroom.
When I started my tech career in code, object-oriented programming gave me a systems thinking mindset that I’ve spent years trying to develop and apply in real fast-paced day-to-day product design work. When I wanted to learn more, systems thinking content was so boring and academic I lost interest fast or didn’t feel like I was smart enough to understand how to apply it. I tried certification programs and courses, all of them were so comprehensive that it felt like I was getting quantum mathematics when my day-to-day reality only had space for addition and subtraction.
After 10+ years in UX and design, System Design Lab is what actually worked. It’s not comprehensive frameworks that breakdown the moment a PM says “this needs to be done by tomorrow.” It’s not abstract theories that require PhDs to apply them, or feel too ambiguous to use on Monday morning. It’s practical everyday thinking that changes what you see when you look at a product.
SDL is for designers who don’t need another framework or academic theory, but a perspective shift in how they see and design products. It’s practical systems thinking that you can apply when you’re staring down a deadline in the trenches of a flow with 5+ stakeholders telling you different requirements.
- 10+ years in UX, content design, and product design
- Contributor, 97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know (O'Reilly)
- Multi-course author, UX Content Collective
- Former design system lead
BECOME A FOUNDING MEMBER
Your founder’s price will never change, even when pricing increases with the full library launch.
INTRODUCTION
Free
No card required
Access to Course 1 — see what System Design Lab teaches before you commit to anything.
Start freeFOUNDER'S MONTHLY
$29/month
Save $48/year when you sign up for yearly
Full access to everything. New lessons added regularly. Cancel any time.
- Full library access
- Access to founding member-only Office Hours
- Access to member's only events
- Access to templates, tools, and resources (coming soon)
FOUNDER'S ANNUAL
$25/month
$300 a year, saves you $48
Full access to everything. New lessons added regularly. Cancel any time.
- Full library access
- Access to founding member-only Office Hours
- Access to member's only events
- Access to templates, tools, and resources (coming soon)




