Design for the Future

How do we best design for the future? I’m not talking about next month or next year, but ensuring that we are designing products to face the challenges of the world over the coming decades. For many products, this doesn’t matter a lot because they have a short life cycle and we will be on to a new version in a year or two. But for durable goods, those that are expected to last many years, there are two important reasons to think long-term about product design:

You may be thinking that’s great in theory, but how can we know what changes will take place over the coming decades? Yes, we won’t know everything about the future world but long term trends that will affect all areas of life can be known, and then used to estimate future conditions. These are called megatrends.

What exactly is a megatrend?

“Megatrends are macroeconomic and geostrategic forces that are shaping the world. They are factual and often backed by verifiable data. By definition, they are big and include some of society’s biggest challenges — and opportunities [1].”

A megatrend will have far reaching effects and we can already start to see the effects of them. What are some of the megatrends we should think about? Many reports talk about five megatrends the world will experience.

Shift in global economic power

Shift in demographics

Increasing Urbanization

Rise of technology

Climate change and resource scarcity

· In 2030 there will be demand for 50% more energy, 40% more water, and 35% more food. The demand for food production will increase by 59%-98% by 2050.

One group that does a great job of designing for the future is city planners. Because infrastructure projects are so large they have to think about what will be best for the city in the coming years and decades.

Conclusion

By understanding the large patterns that will shape the coming decades, we can understand what innovations need to take place and what challenges our designs will face in the future. There are a lot of challenges that the world will face in the coming decades, but I am optimistic that we can innovate to meet those challenges. When you are designing a product don’t just think about how it will be used right now, but think about how it will be used in the future. It’s possible it will be obsolete, but it is also possible that its use will have evolved and its requirements have changed. Is innovation keeping pace with future requirements? Ensure that you are designing for the future and not just for today.

References

Related posts:

Hoje temos um grande potencial para que novos projetos ou novas ideias surjam. Podemos sentir muita energia e vontade de fazer várias coisas ao mesmo tempo, por isso será necessário tomar cuidado com…

The Payment Request API offers users an easy way to make payments on e commerce websites and apps with one tap. But getting your bosses or clients to buy into its simplicity and ease of…

Women entrepreneurs are becoming a force to be reckoned with in the business world, and you only need to read the news to realize it. According to CNBC, “The stars have aligned to help trigger the…