Our latest episode of El Periscopio on future design with Stef Silva from Invisible served as an introduction to this emerging discipline that is here to stay and is becoming established in companies and administrations. And although it's not like owning a crystal ball, it's the discipline that invites us to sketch 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, based on her experience, it's being very well received in the companies where she works, and that "people have fun."
Ideal for sectors anchored in outdated models
We asked her about the sectors where future design is most necessary or suitable. Stef talks about those anchored in older models, such as industrial, banking, and insurance, as "they have a very relevant weight in society, and at the same time, many of them need to rethink their work models and the consequences of their products and services".
A discipline grounded in research
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, weak signals of change, the better the results will be".
"We are detectives of change, and as detectives, we need to create observation environments that nourish the day-to-day of research," explains Stef.
Invisible works with companies that have embraced future design and have adopted these ongoing observation environments. Stef explains that "companies that embrace and welcome this movement have a tremendous potential for change."
According to her, at Invisible, they would love to democratize future design, making it accessible to everyone so that all stakeholders can benefit from what the discipline offers.
Creativity and imagination mixed with process and methodology
Although it's a very creative discipline, future design also involves methodology and process. In fact, it's thanks to this that results are achieved. They always start with the detection and analysis of signals of change through the collection of information and knowledge. Next, they move on to identifying patterns within these changes to discover where there is trend and directionality. Subsequently, they mix the trends and describe scenarios in a specific context.
Stef emphasizes the importance of diversity: "Trends don't happen in isolation; we need diverse people who bring different voices to each of the scenarios".
It's in this last step where creativity comes into play. Invisible uses illustration or the design of future artifacts, which help visualize the different scenarios better.
Not everything is a trend
What's the criterion for something to become a trend? Stef is clear about it. A trend is something that has no turning back; it's not hype, but something that truly changes the status quo. These are movements with a very clear directionality, coming from well-established places and involving many people at once.
The profiles working in future design are very diverse. From social sciences and humanities (anthropology, sociology) to roles in the art world and professionals linked to the design field.
The 3 biggest mistakes in future design
Finally, we discovered the biggest mistakes that could be made in future design. The first: thinking that we are predicting, as future design involves sketching future scenarios to then return to the present and see what could happen. The second: not being aware of people's biases or preconceived ideas. The third: doing it behind closed doors and making it an overly intellectualized discipline that's hard to access.
