Exploring the futures by design (in english)

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…

…even web-site !

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

Design Probes: Habitat: Living off the Grid

slava.kozlov@summn.com

www.summn.com