Meet Callan Hagans: Our new Systemic Design Analyst

Feb 2025

Callan Hagans

We're excited to welcome Callan as the newest Systemic Design Analyst at Snowmelt. Callan joins us as a recent graduate from the University of Sydney's Bachelor of Arts program, with majors in Philosophy and Design. We've asked her a few questions at the beginning of her second week:

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Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?

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I have a Scottish, Swiss, and American background, so I grew up surrounded by different perspectives, which shaped how I see the world. I’ve always been curious about big questions—space, science, how the world works—but I was equally drawn to creativity and visual art. It was this blend of curiosity and creativity that led me to study Philosophy and Design at the University of Sydney. Philosophy taught me to think holistically, challenge assumptions, and explore the structures shaping our thinking. Design gave me the practice—tools, methods, and processes—to turn insights into tangible solutions.

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In my final year, I designed a social enterprise project tackling intergenerational loneliness among women. This project sparked my fascination with how design thinking can drive social change - reshaping relationships, challenging societal stigmas, and fostering cyclical thinking rooted in natural rhythms.

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During my studies, I also led communications and marketing at Dovetail (the legal recruitment company) within a small yet high-performing team. This experience strengthened my ability to communicate complex ideas creatively and strategically, while also deepening my understanding of business operations.

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After university, I worked on a strategic design research project at Resparke, a dementia care and wellbeing technology company. We examined stakeholder relationships, decision-making, and evolving care expectations to help define a ‘North Star’ within the aged care landscape and continuum of care.

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How did you end up here?

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I’ve always followed what I find intellectually and creatively challenging—work that allows me to engage deeply with complex problems. When I discovered Snowmelt, everything clicked. My background in design, philosophy, and communications gave me the foundations and tools to simplify complexity. For me, systemic design aligns perfectly with my passions, making this opportunity few and far between.

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What excites you most about joining Snowmelt?

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I’m really excited to work on big-picture projects, especially with purpose-driven organisations tackling interconnected challenges—knowing that the work we do can lead to real, meaningful change. More than anything, I’m looking forward to learning from such an experienced team—being challenged, expanding my thinking, and growing in my practice. It’s a team I can see myself learning from and growing with for a long time.

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You’ve been with us a week, what have you noticed already?‍

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One thing that’s really stood out to me is the openness to complexity—there’s a deep understanding that the challenges we’re working on don’t have easy answers, and the focus isn’t on finding a single ‘solution,’ but on creating the right conditions for meaningful change. I’ve also noticed how much transparency and collaboration are valued, both within the team and in how Snowmelt works with clients. The process feels shared rather than prescriptive, which makes space for different perspectives to shape the work in a really thoughtful way.

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How does systemic design fit, and how does it shape the way you see challenges and opportunities?‍

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For me, systemic design is a way of making sense of the messiness of the world—it helps reveal the underlying structures, relationships, and feedback loops that shape our realities and the challenges we face. Much like philosophy, I think the more we can understand different perspectives, uncover contradictions, and work towards articulating a complete interconnected picture, the better we can make sense of our reality. It also pushes us to ask better questions—not just ‘what’ is happening, but ‘why’ (my favourite) and ‘how’ things have become the way they are. In this way systemic design helps organisations see themselves within a larger context, helping them uncover new opportunities and navigate our complex world with intention.

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Systemic design often involves navigating complexity and uncertainty. How do you approach working in spaces where there are no clear answers?

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I’ve always been a naturally curious person, so I guess you could say I’m drawn to ambiguity. I think that curiosity is what excites me most about this role. When there aren’t clear answers, I see it as a chance to ask better questions, uncover new ways of thinking, and create space for different perspectives to emerge.
That said, when complexity starts to feel too abstract or overwhelming, I rely on visuals to ground my thinking. Even a quick sketch or mapping exercise can reveal interconnections and turn ambiguity into something more tangible, helping to spark shared understanding between people and align thinking so discussions can move forward.

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