Our last episode of The Periscope on future design with Stef Silva of Invisible served as an introduction to this emerging discipline that is here to stay and is taking hold in companies and administrations. And while it's not like having a crystal ball, it's the discipline that invites us to draw and think about future scenarios to understand what could happen and how we can get there (which is much more fun! 😉).
People have fun
According to Stef, future design is a world where research meets creativity and art to write stories about the future. She defines it as "thinking differently to create divergent environments" and explains that, in her experience, it is being very well received in the companies where she works and that "people are having fun".
Ideal for sectors anchored in outdated models
We asked him about the sectors in which future design is most necessary or appropriate. Stef talks about those anchored in older models, such as industrial, banking and insurance, since "they have a very relevant weight in society and, at the same time, many of them need to rethink their working models and the consequences of their products and services".
A research-based discipline
Future design projects are based on research. In fact, Stef explains that the results depend on the time available for research: "The more time we have to detect emerging technologies, changes in behavior patterns and weak signals of change, the better the results.
"We are detectives of change, and as detectives, we need to create observational environments that feed the day-to-day of the investigation," Stef explains.
Invisible works with companies that have embraced the design of the future and adopted them continuous observation environments. Stef explains that "companies that adopt and embrace this movement have enormous potential for change."
According to her, at Invisible they would love to democratize the design of the future, making it accessible to all so that all stakeholders can benefit from what the discipline has to offer.
Creativity and imagination mixed with process and methodology.
Although it is a very creative discipline, the design of the future also involves methodology and process. In fact, it is thanks to this that results are obtained. They always start with detecting and analyzing signals of change by gathering information and insights. They then go on to identify patterns within these changes to discover where there is trend and directionality. They then blend the trends and describe scenarios in a specific context.
Stef stresses the importance of diversity: "Trends don't happen in isolation; we need diverse people who bring different voices to each of the scenarios".
It is in this last step where creativity comes into play. Invisible uses illustration or design of future artifacts, which help to better visualize the different scenarios.
Not everything is a trend
What are the criteria for something to become a trend? Stef is clear. A trend is something that has no way back; it's not hype, but something that really changes the status quo. It's about movements with a very clear directionality, coming from well-established places and involving many people at once.
The profiles that will work in future design are very diverse. From social sciences and humanities (anthropology, sociology) to roles in the art world and professionals linked to the field of design.
The 3 biggest design mistakes of the future
Finally, we discovered the biggest mistakes that could be made in future design. The first: thinking that we are predicting, since future design involves sketching future scenarios and then going back to the present and seeing what might happen. The second: not being aware of people's prejudices or preconceived ideas. The third: doing it behind closed doors and making it an overly intellectualized discipline is difficult to access that.
