Exploring the futures by design:
Past, present, and possible futures
Fontys UniversitySeptember 17, 2010
Real cases, real lessons
World Expo 1958, Brussels
Philips Pavilion
Back to the future: Le Poème électronique
Luis Kallf, Le Corbusier, Edgar Varèse
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Ideas and sketches
Development and testing
Yean Xenakis
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Construction and installation
Making new (electronic) music
Story: Reflection of the past, vision of the future
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQKyYmU2tPg
Opening and experience
FUTURE: A complex metaphorical message, reflection of the the past and an optimistic scenario of the future for human kind, expressed through the blend of art and technology
DESIGN: An active facilitator between the world of art, and the one of business.
BUSINESS: Ticket to history - and a profitable business too! (*)
(*) - soon after Brussels Expo Philips established a special division to develop and sell the solutions similar to Poeme electronique, to illuminate various historical monuments all over the world.
To sum up:
Syd Mead: Wild-Cat Future Dreaming (1970s)
Domestic futures visualized
Future kitchen (~ 1972) Future living room (~ 1973)
Futures of business spaces
Future of office (~ 1974)
Future of education
Future of university (~ 1975)
FUTURE: Visual scenarios illustrating possible futures of various domains and institutions (e.g., home, office, university).
DESIGN: Mediator and increasingly a participant of the future
scenario development, in dialogue with business.
BUSINESS: Beautiful and convincing illustrations of the possible
strategic developments of business (relatively quick
and cheap to make).
To sum up:
Vision of the Future (1995)
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Jan Timmer, then CEO Philips
Design as an integrator
A Renaissance model of design
Stefano Marzano
‘High Design’ is
human-focused
research-based
multi-disciplinary
business integrated
Workshop (1993)
+ =
Workshop: Concepts
Workshop: Concepts
Workshop: Exhibition
FUTURE: The future of office and office technologies.
DESIGN: Facilitator of the dialogue between different companies
and a co-creator of the concepts, creator of the communication strategy (use of 3D mock-ups and an exhibition as carriers).
BUSINESS: Exploration and visualization of the possibilities of business
collaboration, together with a rapid development of new
product concepts.
To sum up:
Vision of the Future - Process
Socio-Cultural Horizons: Future Concept Lab
Six Sociodynamic Forces
• Subjectivity
• Sociability
• Exploration
• Connectivity
• Ethics
• HolismFrancesco Morace
Josephine Green
Creative Sessions
Sketches and Storyboards
Model making
Photography, films, exhibition design…
…even a web-site!
Concepts: Shiva, personal communicator
Concepts: Future living room
Interactive Family Tree
Concepts: Kids’ room
Hybrid Playground(analogue + digital)
Concepts: Multimedia kiosk
FUTURE: A broad range, not only of the possible future devices and
gadgets, but more importantly, new types of human activities and practices. All scenarios are grounded in the dedicated study of the social developments and trends.
DESIGN: Design acted as an integrator of the different disciplines and practices, a creative agent both producing new concepts and demonstrating their possible usage, using diverse formats of communication.
BUSINESS: Business powerfully demonstrated its capacity to create
new conceptual solutions, based not only on the new technologies, but also taking into account new emerging
social and personal needs.
To sum up:
Strategic Future Design
contextual people research
latest cultural manifestations
new societal developments
changes of world-views
And another project…
Vision of the Future revisited (2005)
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85%
15% (of those 85%)
of the concepts are on market, in one form or another
are produced by Philips
Source:
Only one case
Tony Fadell, ???, Jonathan Ive, Steve Jobs, ???
LiMe (Living Memory) 1997
Joint research project, supported
by EU/ Cordis Programme.
• Philips Design• Queen Margaret University College• Domus Academy• Imperial College of Science• Universite Rene Descartes
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LiMe: Ethnographic study of the ‘now’
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LiMe: Understanding collective memory
LiMe: Table in a café
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LiMe: Metaphors of a memory
Link: http://tinyurl.com/3xd556o
FUTURE: Ground-breaking scenarios of how new digital, networked technologies can impact multiple aspects of our lives
(e.g., new possibilities for ‘collective memory’).
DESIGN: Leading participant of a research consortium, partner in research and development of the concepts, the interfaces,
and a working prototype.
BUSINESS: Hmm.. (*)(*) I often say that if Philips would endorse the LiMe concept and didn’t react with such a disbelief and resistance, the world now wouldn’t know the word ‘blogging’; we would all ‘lime’ these days.
To sum up:
Experience Design: Case of internal design research
Nebula: Rethinking a waking-up experience
© Jeremy Hall
Nebula: Sensorial experience
Nebula: Multimedia experience
Nebula: Personal and emotional experience
Is Wake-up Light a ‘Nebula Now’?
What is Nebula now?
Ambient Experience Hospital
Future horizons
FUTURE: Exploration of new possible scenarios of an activity,
guided by a novel design framework (experience design).
DESIGN: New method of design explored, leading to a few new concepts…
BUSINESS: … that were not immediately applied in business, but impacted other business developments over
time and eventually resulted in a very original product/solution.
To sum up:
Next Simplicity (2006/08)
Next Simplicity anno 2006
Chameleon
Next Simplicity: Innovation in interfaces
Next Simplicity
HerbArium
Next Simplicity
SoftTherapy
Next Simplicity
Momento
Next Simplicity: Event 2006
Next Simplicity: Concepts enacted
Next Simplicity: Lifestyle change assistance
Next Simplicity: Medical diagnostics humanized
Next Simplicity anno 2008
FUTURE: A range of scenarios and concepts endorsing one desirable, preferable future, based on research data and a system of brand-driven beliefs (e.g., Sense and Simplicity).
DESIGN: Creative design and development of the concepts, in close cooperation with business, supervised by the brand and management boards.
BUSINESS: Large-scale communication program to support both
strategic brand goals and current business targets, stimulating R&D and innovation.
To sum up:
Critical Design: Design Probes
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Wearables (2003): Aim to develop business
Multimedia jacket Connected jacket
Wearables: Toward provocative design
Toward provocative design
Design Probes: Electronic Dresses
Expressing your own emotions
Design Probes: Electronic Dresses
Sensing emotions of others
Toward provocative design
Design Probes: Electronic Jewelry
Design Probes: Electronic Tattoo
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW0BZsOcZZE
FUTURE: Diverse scenarios of how new technologies can be used in the near-body, on-body and in-body ranges, and how
they can impact many human activities.
DESIGN: Development and communication of the highly provocative concepts, dialogues with, and feedback from from the multiple
audiences.
BUSINESS: Provocation it was!
To sum up:
More Design Probes: Food Biosphere
More Design Probes: Food Printer
More Design Probes: Printed Food
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Futures are not all high-tech and fancy
Chulha: Futures for the developing worlds
businessbusiness
design
?
?
?
?
Exploration of possible futures
is non-stop
Future tools: Crowdcasting
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Future tools: Market Predictions
Future tools: Serious games
Superstruct Jane McGonigal & Institute for the Future
Evoke Jane McGonigal & The World Bank
Future tools: Expo 2010
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Happy Street Dutch pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010,by John Körmeling (Eindhoven)