Systems design is the process or art of defining the hardware and software architecture, components, modules, interfaces, and data for a computer system to satisfy specified requirements. One could see it as the application of systems theory to computing. Some overlap with the discipline of systems analysis appears inevitable.

Prior to the standardisation of hardware and software in the 1990s which resulted in the ability to build modular systems, systems design had a more crucial and respected role in the data processing industry. The increasing importance of software running on generic platforms have enhanced the discipline of software engineering at systems design's expense.

Design tools such as UML now address some of the issues of computer systems design and interfacing.