exploring the futures by design (in english)
DESCRIPTION
The following are the slides that I used during my recent presentations in St.Petersburg and Moscow (to the right are the announcements of these lectures, naming them as ‘Design for possible futures’ and “Futuredesign: Designing possible futures’).TRANSCRIPT
BY DESIGN
THE FUTURES
EXPLORING
The following are the slides that I used during my recent presentations in St.Petersburg and Moscow (to the right are the announcements of these lectures, naming them as ‘Design for possible futures’ and “Futuredesign: Designing possible futures’).
There is 170+ slides, which is a lot, but I was also given large amount of time to talk; as a result, I didn’t put too many words on the slides themselves, so they can be not clear without a voice-over of some sort.
In this version for SlideShare I tried to add some “word clouds”, but I understand that this bring only limited success.
Almost all the images here are copyright of Philips/Philips Design, unless indicated otherwise.
Foreword
I was asked to tell about the projects done by Philips Design in various years, that can be broadly defined as ‘explorations of the possible futures’, for design and by design. This is therefore a collection of cases, rather than a systematic description this type of design, with just a modest attempt to identify some patterns of its development over time.
Atomium, 2008
Atomium 1958: World Expo, Brussels
Philips Pavilion
Philips. 1891
Gerard Philips Anton Philips Few slides about Philips, to general certain context and better understanding of some cases
Philips Lamp
Philips Factory
From a simple bulb to…
Who can guess what is this device for?
NatLab
The first NatLab at the Kastanjelaan, 1923
Design, incorporated
Technology made beautiful
Chapel
Royal Philips Electronics
Back to the future: Philips Pavilion
Luis Kallf, Le Corbusier, Edgar Varèse
Le Poème électronique
Sketches and models
Development and testing
Yean Xenakis
Construction
Music
Story
Opening
Film (excerpt)
Poeme electronique now
Future of the Strijp-S Complex in Eindhoven
FUTURE: Complex metaphorical message, a 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.
Syd Mead: Wild-Cat Future Dreaming (1970s)
Domestic futures visualized
Future kitchen (~ 1972) Future living room (~ 1973)
Business futures
Future of office (~ 1974)
Future of education
Future of university (~ 1975)
Syd Mead today
www.sydmead.com
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).
Vision of the Future (1995)
Design as an integrator
Renaissance model of design
Stefano Marzano
‘High Design’
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.
Vision of the Future - Process
Socio-Cultural Horizons
Six Sociodynamic Forces
• Subjectivity
• Sociability
• Exploration
• Connectivity
• Ethics
• HolismFrancesco Morace Josephine Green
Creative Sessions
Sketches and Storyboards
Model making
Films, exhibition design…
Concepts: Shiva
Concepts: Magic East (Shiva Devil)
Concepts: wearable electronics
Ski Jacket
Multimedia T-Shirt
Recharge Jacket
Concepts: Future living room
Interactive Family Tree
Concepts: Home Work
Concepts: Kid’s room
Hybrid Playground(analogue + digital)
Concepts: Kid’s room
Ludic Robots
Concepts: Multimedia kiosk
Concepts: Future bar
Exhibition in Evoluon
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 new technologies, but also taking into account new emerging social and personal needs.
Strategic Future Design
Soon after VoF Philips Design decided to organize a dedicated group to explore and design ‘possible futures’.
City People Light (1998)
City Beautification: An overall theme
City People Light: ‘Personal City’ theme
City People Light: ‘Social City’ theme
City People Light: ‘Experiential City’ theme
City People Light: ‘Caring City’ theme
City People Light: Validation & Enrichment
FUTURE: A range of scenarios of urban developments that lead to rethink many activities and practices otherwise taken for granted.
DESIGN: Initiated own future study, of the possible urban developments, created a range of innovative concepts, and partnered with business in developing communication and gaining a feedback.
BUSINESS: New concepts and scenarios, but also a new, richer level
of interaction with business partners and highly targeted
communication and PR.
Vision of the Future Revisited (2005)
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
85%
15%
of the concepts are on market, in one form or another
are produced by Philips
Source:
And another project…
Originally I present a black slide, illustrating an increasingly closed nature of the projects and developments after the ViF.
Next Simplicity (2006/08)
Simplicity: New Brand Promise
Theory of Simplicity
Next Simplicity anno 2006
Chameleon
Next Simplicity
Next Simplicity
Next Simplicity
Momento
Next Simplicity
Air Tree
Next Simplicity
HerbArium
Next Simplicity
Ambient Hospital Experience
Next Simplicity
SoftTherapy
Next Simplicity: Event 2006
Next Simplicity anno 2007: More theatrical presentations
Next Simplicity: Concepts enacted
Next Simplicity: Medical diagnostics humanized
Next Simplicity: Lifestyle change assistance
Next Simplicity: Care about future generations
Next Simplicity anno 2008
FUTURE: A range of scenarios and concepts endorsing one desirable preferable future, based 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.
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
QuickTime™ and a decompressorare needed to see this picture.
LiMe: Understanding collective memory
LiMe: Ethnographic study of the ‘now’
LiMe: Earlier concepts
LiMe: Café Table
LiMe: Humane interface
LiMe: ‘Rivers of memory’ metaphor
LiMe: Multiple platforms
FUTURE: Ground-breaking scenarios of how new digital (and 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, 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.
Pogo (1999)
Joint research project, supported by EU/ Cordis Programme.
• Philips Design• Cryo Interactive• Domus Academy• Ravenburgers Interactive Media• University of Siena• University of Liege
Collective storytelling by kids: Concept development
Ecosystem of devices
Validation and enhancement
Concept placement
Levels of (un)acceptance
FUTURE: A scenario of activities, range of concepts and a working prototype of radically new (eco)system of solutions,
supporting and developing creative skills of children,
through collaborative and co-creative exercises.
DESIGN: Leading participant of a research consortium, partner in research and development of the concepts, interfaces,
and a working prototype.
BUSINESS: Hmm.. (*)(*) As in the case of LiMe, the business didn’t endorse the developments, arguably due to their problematic business model.
MIME (Multiple Intimate Media Environments) (2002)
Joint research project, supported by EU/ Cordis Programme.
• Philips Design• Xerox Labs, UK• University of Nottingheim
www.mimeproject.org
Intimate media?
I was hardly able to tell the full story of MIME, but fortunately it is well documented and up until now available at www.mimeproject.org
Theoretical framework
More theoretical frameworks
MIME: Memento Storyboard
MIME: Glowing tags
MIME: GlowPad
Intimate media: Technical prototyping
FUTURE: Innovative scenarios of how new digital (networked) technologies can be applied to support deeply personal, emotional and intimate sides of our activities, including identity construction and self-presentation.
DESIGN: Leading participant of a research consortium, partner in research and development of the concepts, interfaces,
and a communication materials.
BUSINESS: Hmm… (*) (*) Here business not only ‘didn’t get the point’ of the whole concepts, but soon dramatically decreased its investment into entire Ambient Intelligence R&D program.
Experience Design: Case of internal design research
Experience Design: Theoretical framework
Experience Design in practice: Three projects (2003)
Aurora Garden Nebula
Nebula: Rethinking a waking-up experience
© Jeremy Hall
Nebula: Waking-up experience
Nebula: Multimedia experience
Nebula: Sensorial experience
Nebula: Personal and emotional experience
Is Wake-up Light a ‘Nebula Now’?
Nebula now?
True Nebula legacy: Ambient Experience Hospital
But not of Nebula - it is a legacy of Pogo, too
Ambient Experience Hospital: Flagship product of business
Future horizons
FUTURE: Exploring new possible scenarios of certain activity,
guided by an experience design framework.
DESIGN: New method of design explored, leading to a few new concepts…
BUSINESS: … that were not applied in business, but impacted other business developments and eventually resulted in a very original product/solution.
Design of Open Tools
© Glenn Karlsen
Design of Open Tools: Framework
Experience Design: Concept visualizations
Open Tools approach applied in business concepts
FUTURE: Scenarios of the devices able to adapt to the requirements of people over time (‘open tools’).
DESIGN: Development of the new design approach (open tools), and a few illustrating concepts…
BUSINESS: … that inspired business to rethink their existing model
of development and production of electronic goods.
Design with a (bio) feedback in mind
© prozak74
No matter how beautiful a female being is,
she will always see a less attractive version
of her in the mirror!
MindSpheres: Design research project
Rationalizer: Viable business project
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Rationalizer for ABN-AMRO bank
QuickTime™ and a decompressor
are needed to see this picture.
Design Probes: Critical Design
Wearables (2003): Aim to develop business
Multimedia jacket Connected jacket
Wearables
e-clothes for sport Wearable healing suite
Wearables: Toward provocative design
Toward provocative design
Toward provocative design
Toward provocative design
Design Probes: Electronic Dresses
Expressing your own emotions
Electronic Dresses (movie)
Design Probes: Electronic Dresses
Sensing emotions of others
Design Probes: Electronic Jewelry
Design Probes: Fractal
Design Probes: Electronic Tattoo
FUTURE: Diverse scenarios of how new technologies can be used in the near-body, on-body and in-body ranges, and how this
can impact many human activities.
DESIGN: Development and communication of highly provocative concepts, dialogues with, and feedback from from multiple
audiences.
BUSINESS: Provocation it was!
Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid
Shanghai 2005
Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid
House is a mini-
power supply
Living ‘off the grid’
House is a living
organism with
enclosed cycles
Fusion of
technology
and nature
House produces
more than it takesHABITAT
Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid
Design Probes: Exhibitions
Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid
Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid
Design Probes: Food
Design Probes: Food - Biosphere
Design Probes: Food - Diagnostic Kitchen
Design Probes: Food - Food Printer
Design Probes: Food
Design Probes: Food
Chulha: Futures for the developing worlds
I added this slide after the first lecture, where there was a comment that all ‘future concepts’ are somewhat fancy and ‘not for real life. This concepts developed to improve the lives of Indianwomen in rural India were as futuristic for them as the 3D printer for the Western well-offs now.
Syd Mead
W/S
businessbusiness
design
After the previous slide I expected to have a discussion, both about my version of the past, but more importantly about possible future developments of this form of design, its forms and formats.
I was obviously interested to explain, and explore the role of Summ( )n (how we see it) in the process, and why be believe that we can add something crucial.
Due to the lack of time, and also because of the information overload there was no extensive discussions in both cases, beyond the usual Q&A. Well, next time better.
We design immersive,
multisensory environments to
experience new emerging
qualities of the futures –
because it is not enough to
only talk about the futures.
We help people to interact and play with the
possible futures – because it helps to
suspend our disbelieves, unblock creativity,
and allows to experiment and make mistakes
(in a safe way).
We co-create and co-explore
the possible futures – because
no single person holds all the
truth and only together we can
design our desired futures
And we use a bit of magic too
What is that?
It’s a part of this process
Where is the future?
This way?
Or that way?
The future…
… is not what it used to be
Design as the way
to keep exploringpossible futures