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Designers are decision makers and shapers. But what happens when a constantly shifting societal landscape casts uncertainty on our ability to make choices that will serve us well in years to come? Manufacturers’ forecasting depends on the reliability of supply chains; clients demand spaces that will serve current hybrid work patterns while remaining relevant for years or decades; sustainable design is an ever-more-urgent imperative that demands longevity in design. Sure would be nice if we had a crystal ball. Luckily, Mark Bryan, senior futurist at the Future Today Institute, and IIDA’s Futurist in Residence, is the next best thing.
Futurism + Design
During the 2023 Industry Roundtable, Mark shared not only how the techniques of futurism can be used to help us make predictive choices, but also how current forces shaping society and the business landscape impact design now and in the near future.
Mark, uses the techniques of futurism to help clients reduce uncertainty and make decisions. At Industry Roundtable, his role included astute observation as manufacturers and designers engaged in dialog around key industry issues. Among the topics the IR think tank was seeking clarity on: What will happen if the traditional workplace goes away? Who will our clients be in the future? How will goods be sourced and made?
“When you face uncertainty,” Mark says, “make a list and start to do research around those areas — that will start to move you forward.” That research, he explains, should reveal both trends (not things that are “trendy” but things that show a societal direction emerging) and disruptors (things that are causing change.) Those trends and disruptors point to where things are headed next — reading them can provide a window into the likely near future, and possibly beyond.
Factoring in time
As we look to the future, time is the factor that touches everything: time consciousness is everywhere. We are universally facing a shortage of time; we debate time at the office vs. time at home; we scrutinize commute times and their impact on employment and social mobility; a recent study recommended “time dosing” to measure exposure to nature for college students, in an effort to nurture their mental health.
This intense societal focus on time points the way to design questions for the future. Can design of cities address commute times, access to employment, and affordable housing? How can we design to make workplace time more valuable, efficient and desirable? Can a focus on experiential design help alleviate the time crisis by gifting us new experiences? (The answer to that one, Mark says, is yes — humans perceive new experiences as “adding time” to their lives.)
A focus on local
Time and locality are inextricably linked; and future scenarios point toward ways in which locality will impact the way both business and daily life are designed. From “5 minute neighborhoods” where work, recreation and home are all within a quick walk; to urban infill manufacturing and distribution facilities that rely on locally produced materials. Locality, of course, also intersects with climate change, and continued need for flexibility and movement of people and even entire communities means that modular designs which allow for climate responses including migration will be necessary.
