Trip to the Future: Future Visualization Workshops for Children at Kala Ghoda Festival 2016

March 2016

An Introduction to the WorkshopsIn 2013, the Institute of Customer Experience designed a board game called “Trip to the Future” which was used to conduct “playshops” for children to get insights into how children’s minds work in visualizing the future. Three years later, at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2016 held in Mumbai, we had an opportunity to conduct two similar playshops—one for an NGO called Akanksha and the second for the KGAF 2016 festival children. The responses we received were intriguing and actually point to current trends in 2016, indicating the directions in which technology will evolve in the future.

Approach to the Workshops

The approach was borrowed from the previous workshops. We:• > Presented the stimuli as incomplete scenarios to be finished by the children• > Encouraged all and any possible answers, with no right or wrong answers• > Made the sessions about creativity, more play than work

2016 Workshop Venue: The Former Prince of Wales Museum Gardens, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

Dates: February 9th and 10th Duration: 1 hour (each)

The Participants

Akansha (NGO) Age group: 11 years Total number: 30 children

Kala Ghoda Festival Public Age group: 6-13 years Total number: 10 children

Trip to the Future As a Board Game

The game called “Trip to the Future” requires the children to let their imaginations run wild in the context of the following areas: How will food be produced in the future? What will future houses look like? How will people entertain themselves? Who will they look for as companions? How will they get information in the future?

Linking the Responses to Trends

The formative minds of children project important trends that society can expect to actually manifest in the future. Here, we take a closer look at what are the key influences on children today: Children in the urban environment of Mumbai are

exposed to various kinds of technologies and gadgets, including laptops, smart phones, tablets, and wearable tech.

Games and toys make a huge impact on the imaginations of children through which they can go on journeys of open-ended play.

The films, television series, and advertisements that the children consume also impact how they might think about the future.

Source: Simon Davidson, Flickr Creative Commons https://flic.kr/p/rGWgm

The Response-Trend Links Found

This report aims to bring out themes we spotted in the responses of the participants along with current trends that are emerging in technology, housing, entertainment, food and so on. Here are the themes that the drawings point to:

1. Practical space exploration2. Beneficial intelligence3. Maker movement (3D printing)4. Space-saving automated tech5. Cognitive Internet of Things6. Immersive screen display7. Augmented knowledge (and immortality)

Although space travel was also the theme of the board game, the ideas on having an oxygen supply, “advisor” on space, jetpacks, space suits, robots, etc. indicate that space exploration is becoming more and more an imaginable, practical reality. As we recently saw with NASA’s release of space exploration posters, promotion of space tourism, for example, imagine a Hilton on Mars.Source: http://www.thedrive.com/article/2171/nasas-giving-away-brilliant-space-travel-posters-for-free

Trend #1: Practical Space Exploration

Five things you would take with you if you had to leave Earth and go into space

Akanksha (NGO) Oxygen (cylinder/mask) Food Water Safety clothes Others: Small stones, Helmet, Rocket,

Medicine, Football kit, friends, TV, mom, house, books, pen, basic needs, space suit, games, sister, cycle,

Festival Public Oxygen cylinder Food Space Suit Games Others: water, rocket, books, luggage,

gum sole shoes, paper, space car, jetpack, video games, books, a robot, space car, sister, space ship, space clothes, toys, an “advisor” about space,

Trend #1: Practical Space Exploration

Trend #2: Beneficial Intelligence

In quite a few responses we see the way in which children are motivated by the power of technology to save their time, improve their lives, and, most of all, to always be by their side as an “assistant” to whatever they might be doing.Source: http://trendwatching.com/trends/5-trends-for-2016/

Trend #2: Beneficial intelligence

Akanksha (NGO) Festival Public

When we tell the robot to do something, it does that. “Robot, bring my games back!” (space garage)

Trend #2: Beneficial intelligence

Akansha (NGO) Festival Public

The circle is the machine that can say information of any planet.

“My robot, produce a pizza machine and make pizza from it.”

Trend #2: Beneficial intelligence “My robot is always with me.”

This drawing indicates that children are starting to think of their relationship with technology as not only “beneficial” as a life assistant but also comforting in its constant presence.

The Maker Movement was also evident in many of the drawings that the children at the festival made. The workings of the “machines” conceived to produce pizza were designed in a way unique to each child, characteristic of the maker movement trend. In addition, 3D printing is technology that assists to make a lot of different conceptions possible.Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/top-toy-trends-of-2015-announced-by-toy-industry-association-tia-the-official-voice-of-toy-fair-300036276.html

Trend #3: Maker Movement

Trend #3: Maker Movement (3D Printing)

I’ll make pizza by pizza machine. I’ll make my pizza machine into a TV which can do anything.

Trend #3: Maker Movement

“Pizza Rocket” is conceived as being made out of pizza, solving the problem of transport and food.

Trend #3: Maker Movement

Vegetables, sauces, outlet, bread. Pizza-producing machine.

Play with the pizza machine, as a Frisbee

Trend #3: Maker Movement (3D Printing)

Pizza machine with dials:1) First you have to put the pizza in the machine.

Then turn on the dials.2) Set the place.3) And you have the pizza there.

Trend #4: Space Saving Automated Furniture

Many of the responses indicated that kids are thinking of a space saving, smaller, more compact material lifestyle that will serve more than one purpose.Source: http://www.gizmag.com/kraaijvanger-hub/42268/?li_source=LI&li_medium=default-widget

Trend #4: Space-saving Automated Furniture

I’ll convert my spaceship into a house which has many features like… it can be opened if we type the password and my house will look like an ancient warship of chocolate. And whenever I want to explore, I’ll covert my house into a spaceship.

Trend #4: Space-saving Automated Furniture

If you wish, the Magic room to become a small ball, it can fit in your pocket. You

can wish it back into a room.

Everything is integrated in the house. Space shop & sports arena.

Trend #4: Space Saving Automated Furniture

“A bed which will control all the things.” (With buttons)“Small foldable structure that turns into a house”

IoT was one of the major recurring trends observed. Kids depicted material things in their life that were connected and functioned according to their mood and preferences. IBM’s Watson Internet of Things makes sense of the vast amount of data generated by the Internet of things, using machine learning.Source: http://www.ibm.com/internet-of-things/watson-iot.html

Trend #5: Cognitive Internet of Things

Trend #5: Cognitive Internet of Things

Akansha (NGO) Akansha (NGO)

“Music system that plays according to my mood, talking portraits.”

The circle is the machine that can say information of any planet.

When asked about entertainment in the future, communication through a large display “screen” came up as a theme. Large screens on different products is also found to be trending at CES 2016.Sources: https://www.jwtintelligence.com/2016/01/ces-2016-key-trends/http://www.engadget.com/2016/01/10/the-other-ces-2016-trend-put-a-screen-on-it/

Trend #6: Immersive Screen Displays

Trend #6: Immersive Screen Displays

I will have screen in which we can see TV or play games and it has a voice to talk.

Talk to my friends on the Earth through a screen.

Trend #6: Immersive Screen Displays

I may be playing GTA 18 on my latest technology suit. The glass in front of me will project the screen. Whatever I think will happen in the game.

Trend #7: Augmented Knowledge (and Immortality)

When the kids were asked about the kind of life they might see on other planets, a common response was related to “superintelligence” and “talking with the mind.” These “alien” beings had qualities that were aspirational to the children. For example, being born so intelligent, they didn’t need to go to school. Also, immortality was very appealing quality of the aliens.HBR’s predicted trend for 2016 is around this kind of augmented knowledge and communication directly through the brain that means enhanced cognitive abilities which will impact what it means to “learn.”

Sources: https://hbr.org/2015/12/8-tech-trends-to-watch-in-2016

Trend #7: Augmented Knowledge

They do not go to school. They are so intelligent that when they are born they know everything. They talk with the phones in their heads (their mind).

Trend #7: Augmented Knowledge

They will have an antenna which will help them to talk to each other.When they are born, they are very smart so they do not go to school.They are colorful.

Trend #7: Augmented Knowledge

They will talk with their head because in the head they will have a computer.

They cannot die because on the planet is made like that. When anyone goes to that planet, they cannot die.

Trend #7: Augmented Knowledge

Aliens are not like humans. They wear no clothes. As my friend is never tired, he can go anywhere. They are very intelligent. As soon as they are born, they become intelligent. They never die.

Thank you!

The workshop team

• Kalika Sharma• Jayna Bansal• Khushboo Biyani• Anand Vijayan• Riddhi Shah• Chinmay Sethe• Anurag Bhattacharya• Rasika Wadodkar

Thanks toApala Lahiri Chavan

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