Design the future through the power of storytelling
A new model based on Future Thinking to realise innovative ideas.
This article is inspired by my talk “Back FOR the future” at SmashingConf Antwerp in October 2023.
During my three years of working for a FinTech startup company (time that included the Covid pandemic), I realised that I had been approaching ideas of the future from the wrong perspective. Rather than attempting to predict the future, as designers we actually have the tools at our disposal to design it for ourselves.
However, to do this effectively, we require a clear sense of purpose, a well-defined process, and the right mindset.
This article explains how these elements come together, to create a new model for working on innovative ideas that can become real in the future.
The traditional storytelling approach is not enough.
I have relied on traditional storytelling to present experiences and solutions clearly and concisely. As per Aristotle’s philosophy, storytelling is an essential connection between cause and effect. Donald Miller’s book, “Brand Story,” further emphasises this connection via the Brand Story Framework.
I have written extensively about how I use storytelling to design user experiences in this Smashing Magazine blog post.
However, as a designer in our ever-changing world, it’s important not to limit my focus on developing ideas only for the present. I must also consider solutions that will remain relevant and valid in the future. Startups often require this forward-thinking approach, as they are seeking solutions that will stand the test of time and remain effective three to five years down the line.
This approach holds true for many other companies who wish to survive over time in a world that changes quickly and with no warning.
This is where my traditional storytelling approach falls short.
I started to experiment by using different tools, such as those from Design Fiction, Scenario Planning, and Future Foresight strategies. These present different and useful ways to incorporate the storytelling approach into design, by opening opportunities to the future.
However, I encountered two issues when using these tools:
- Ideas are sometimes so unrealistic and imaginative that they are unlikely to win the trust of investors and stakeholders.
- They try to predict the future, which is almost impossible (not to mention time-consuming).
So I soon realised that the best approach for we designers is to predict the future by shaping it ourselves!
In doing so, we can conjure ideas that we believe are likely to happen and live in our new scenario, which I call a Desirable Future.
The Future Narrative Framework
I have implemented a new, self-developed framework called The Future Narrative Framework (FNF) in all of my recent projects, particularly those that demand a renewed approach.
My framework has allowed me to develop innovative solutions for problems that do not yet exist, but may appear in the near future (three to five years).
The Future Narrative Framework shares many similarities with the storytelling approach I have been using, but adds tools and techniques taken from future foresight strategies.
It is still divided into three acts and follows a temporal line (the present, possible futures and a desirable future). In each act, the designer is invited to look at different aspects of a design idea and apply specific tools and mindsets.
A Desirable Future is our Purpose
To navigate the FNF effectively, it’s best to start at the end of the framework. Collaborating with the team to define and determine the purpose will inform all the necessary steps and help design a Desirable Future, in which the organisation sees their product or service thrive.
Designers cannot work in isolation, and the purpose can help a group of people imagine various ways to impact the world.
Defining future goals is not a new concept, of course: the inspirational author and speaker Simon Sinek calls it ‘Find Your Why’. Successful organisations that wish to make an impact with their innovative ideas are not driven by problems or profit but by purpose. This they use as a roadmap to achieve the Desirable Future they want to build.
Designers learn to ask, “How do I want the future to look?” and then “What steps should I take in each of the three acts in order to achieve it?”
When defining the purpose of the organisation or the product, you need to ensure it has these specific qualities to make an impact:
· Invariable: It is above changes despite the context (it looks at the planet)
· Motivational: It is inspiring to motivate for action (it thinks of people)
· Enhancing: It adds value (it brings prosperity to both the people and the planet).
Once your purpose is defined, it can be positioned at the end of the FNF.
Then you and the team can work towards achieving those goals, using the remaining steps in the framework.
ACT 1: Explore
Now that you have a purpose, you are ready to embrace FNF Act One: Explore.
Explore is set in the present and uses two tools, the Research and the Sensemaking Map.
This Act must be approached with an empathic mindset. When designing a Desirable Future, empathy is not just about understanding users’ needs, goals or frustrations but also understanding and capturing signals from the future: through people, technology, and the planet.
(images: 3 circles with the 3 realities/lenses) People: feel, think, say; Technology: Accessible, compatible; Planet: Sustainable, responsible.
Act 1 / Tool 1: The Research
When we design the future, designers need to look at the present through these three lenses or realities:
The People: Those who will ultimately benefit from our actions and innovations (feel, think, say).
The Technology: Devices and advancements that are at our disposal and crucial in realising our purpose. Accessibility and compatibility are key factors.
- Accessibility: Ensuring that our solutions are accessible means that they can be readily used by a wide range of people (our target), including those with disabilities or in diverse situations. This inclusivity maximises the positive impact of our innovations.
- Compatibility: Compatibility ensures that our solutions can seamlessly integrate with existing technologies and systems. It minimises disruption, encourages adoption, and enhances the overall usability of our creations, making them more likely to be embraced and become successful in the real world.
The Planet: Recognising that our ideas exist in a larger context, we must incorporate ethical considerations into every question we ask, ensuring our path to the Desirable Future is responsible and sustainable.
- Responsible: By considering the ethical implications of our ideas and innovations, we ensure that they do not harm individuals, communities, or the environment. Responsibility entails accountability for the consequences of our actions, promoting fairness and ethical conduct.
- Sustainable: Sustainability involves designing and implementing solutions that can be maintained and do not deplete resources or harm the environment over time. It ensures that our efforts are not short-lived but contribute positively to the long-term well-being of society and the planet.
Act 1 / Tool 2: Sensemaking Map
This tool creates a map that helps make sense of your discoveries.
The Sensemaking Map is inspired by the Wheel of Future but is expanded to incorporate the three lenses as explained (the people, the technology and the planet).
During the research phase, you will no doubt have gathered lots of information. The Sensemaking Map helps designers understand its context, identify patterns, and organise their data so that it can be easily used to help imagine alternative futures in Act Two of the FNF.
The map uses the storytelling principle of cause and effect.
So we create small scenarios, starting with the problem our purpose is trying to solve. Then we expand the map to consider the consequences this problem brings to people, technology, and the planet.
The closest circles have a direct connection to the problem. Those further out include indirect consequences.
When using the Sensemaking Map, we must consider consequences that are both positive and negative. In fact, the ultimate goal of the Sensemaking Map is not only to organise our research but also to find ‘grey’ areas or opportunities in which an innovative idea can make a genuine impact.
These opportunities must be taken into Act Two of the FNF to be explored further as possible scenarios or alternative futures.
ACT 2: Envision
Act Two is what I have termed Envision. This takes place in an alternative future.
Envision is a crucial step in our future-design process and it starts with the conviction that there are many possible and alternative futures, rather than just one.
In this act, designers can visualise scenarios and prepare for disruptive change.
Envisioning is a powerful way to navigate through uncertainty, so this act must be approached with a healthy imagination. However, imagination is a mindset that, in dormant environments, can become hindered.
For this reason, Act Two uses two tools to exercise the imagination: Scenario and Forced Connection.
These tools are fun and straightforward to use, helping designers generate a number of ideas that can be further analysed in the next and final act of the FNF.
Act 2 / Tool 1: Scenario Planning
To plan and envision different scenarios, I use the Cone of Plausibility.
The first public mention of the “Cone of Plausibility” was by Charles Taylor in 1988, to illustrate geopolitical scenarios and study military readiness.
Since then, it has been used in business strategy to help plan possible scenarios for an organisation’s growth.
This same tool can help designers imagine narratives that achieve a Desirable Future.
The Cone of Plausibility moves inwards. Its first cone is Possible Futures.
This larger cone encompasses the broadest range of scenarios and possibilities, including both plausible and less likely outcomes. It explores a broad spectrum of potential futures without excluding any options.
The second cone filters these possible scenarios into Plausible Futures.
Plausible Futures refer to potential outcomes that could reasonably occur within the bounds of uncertainty. These are futures that are not certain, but are well-grounded in existing knowledge and trends (that we gathered during the Explore phase).
The smaller cone is Probable Futures.
Probable Futures are scenarios and possibilities that are highly likely to happen based on current trends, data, and well-established factors. They represent outcomes that are expected to materialise.
Plausible, probable, and possible futures deal with inbound change.
They are based on actions and causes that have already occurred, or may occur, as we analyse the present in Act Two/Explore.
Inside the sphere of possible, plausible and probable futures, we can also imagine some disruptive events or Wild Cards.
Wild Cards are less predictable, often unexpected scenarios or disruptions that can significantly impact the future (think of any episode of the acclaimed Netflix series Black Mirror for an example).
Wild Cards, while unlikely to happen, help designers prepare for unexpected scenarios by maintaining flexibility, adaptability, and resilience in their designs. They need to think creatively and be ready to pivot should unforeseen developments occur.
Ultimately, designers’ real focus should be firmly on the Preferred Futures cone.
The Preferred Future represents the vision, or set of possibilities, people or organisations desire and actively work towards. Usually, these desirable outcomes reflect the organisation’s goals, values, and the positive impact they want to achieve.
The Preferred Future scenarios will be developed and finalised in Act Three/Share.
Act 2 / Tool 1: Forced Connection
Another way to stimulate imagination is through another useful storytelling tool, called Forced Connection.
I use Forced Connection myself, whenever I need to find a metaphor for a brand experience that is complex and multifaceted.
The steps are very simple, and can be taken in groups or alone:
- Consider the object you are trying to design.
- Brainstorm session: Pick an object or situation that is entirely unrelated. Start with simple prompts and avoid judging them.
- “Force” a connection: list seemingly unrelated objects/adjectives/sensations/features. Find a connection between these, the prompts you are working on, and the seemingly unrelated objects/adjectives/sensations, etc…
Innovative products may arise from combining disparate functions, materials or processes. From the ridiculous to the practical, some of the most unfamiliar and original ideas can emerge just by using this easy-to-follow tool.
ACT 3: Share
Ultimately, the true power of storytelling lies in its ability to visualise and share stories that can spread and bring about change.
For this reason, the last Act of the FNF is Share.
It is set in the Desirable Future; the future that organisations wish to create.
In creating a Desirable Future, designers will ideally use a collaborative mindset and work with organisations and stakeholders through two essential tools: Implementation and Impact.
The goal of this step is to find individuals who believe in the same Desirable Future as the organisation, and hence are ready to invest in it (economically and ideologically).
For this reason, sharing is a critical part of the framework.
‘Share’ is where most startups fall down, including some I worked with, that tried to reproduce all of the future scenarios they found during the Envision phase. This is not efficient in terms of time and costs. But through sharing, organisations can maximise their impact, involve actors (stakeholders) and implement their ideas.
Act 3 / Tool 1: Implementation
Implementation is where we begin to iterate around the idea, mostly using prototypes. It is a very dynamic aspect of Act Three, that moves between exploring and making (between present and future).
Designers return to Act One to collect new data, then work towards Act Three to implement their ideas in the Desirable Future.
Because of the dynamic and collaborative nature of Act Three, the implementation will help designers avoid living in an alternative future that doesn’t work; instead making the right decision to move forwards.
For this reason, it is important to prioritise and compare what we think we know against what we don’t. Collaboration between all stakeholders is an essential part of this step.
To help prioritise scenarios before creating prototypes, designers can adopt the Assumption Map.
The Assumption Map is an exercise and tool in which a team unpacks their assumptions about a new product or service’s feasibility, viability, and desirability.
“What assumptions am I making?” is the big question we ask ourselves before building any prototype. Here lies the key to designing and delivering thoughtful, innovative products and services.
Once outlined, each assumption is prioritised by importance and potential risk.
By using the Assumption Map, organisations can speed up implementation by avoiding non-working elements and improbable scenarios. They can also involve valuable stakeholders in testing and experimentation.
Act 3 / Tool 2: Impact
To achieve a Desirable Future, it is essential to make a positive impact.
Such impact can be created through synergy of three factors:
- Confidence and trust: Foster confidence and trust by nurturing a solid foundation around the organisation and its purpose, rather than a specific product or idea. This approach ensures that even if an idea fails, both the organisation and its purpose will remain resilient, bolstered by the trust they’ve earned. This trust empowers them to pursue their purpose through alternative ideas, projects, or services.
- Holistic approach: Embrace an approach that engages a wide spectrum of stakeholders, inviting not only potential investors but also individuals who will directly or indirectly benefit from your product or service. This inclusive narrative ensures that your vision is accessible and relatable to diverse actors, some of whom may be identified in Explore’s Sensemaking Map.
- Collective Intelligence: This widely disseminates innovative ideas, nurturing a community whereby the purpose transcends the organisation and becomes a shared vision. This collective community envisions and embraces the future as the organisation intends to shape it. In this way, a Desirable Future ceases to be the exclusive domain of a select few; it becomes the shared aspiration of a larger group dedicated to standing by and actively supporting the organisation in its creation.
Conclusion
The FNF enables designers to pose new questions and adopt a fresh perspective at every step of the model.
In light of the FNF, design thinking evolves into future thinking. Predicting the future transforms into creating the future; mission and vision shift to evoke a desirable future and purpose. Profitability expands to optionality and user-centricity broadens to planet-centricity.
The FNF can find its use and help create new ideas in organisations that integrate design as part of their strategy, as a bridge between the present and the desired future.
So if you wish to design the future, you will need to seek those junctures where design connects two worlds — today with the desirable tomorrow — and empowers meaningful impact.
If you’re a designer and you’re interested in using storytelling to design user experiences, I invite you to to enrol to my Domestika course, “The Narrative Web: Storytelling applied to UX/UI design”.
