The Futures Wheel: strategic design and the law of unintended consequences

A meetup by Nubank

You've probably heard the expressions cool hunting, trend forecast, future-ready, future-proof, and many others. It's not new that the business world tries to predict the future, anticipate trends and have a temporal advantage over its competitors. But is it really possible in the changing world we live in (or also called VUCA) to guess what will happen? No matter how much experience there is in the field of activity, no matter how long a company has been in the market, known concepts are no longer capable of generating innovative solutions in a completely different scenario. When we talk about technological advances, there are more technical predictions, such as Moore's Law. However, when we talk about behavior, what is the rule? And furthermore, does technology shape behavior or does behavior shape technology? But, despite the uncertain scenario, it does not mean that it is necessary to take unnecessary risks or bet in the dark to innovate. There are numerous tools that can help anticipate innovations, including the Futures Wheel. By mapping a change, we examine its unintended consequences - whether new technologies or new behaviors - and use them to inspire potential commercial opportunities. “The problems we have in our lives today came from previous technologies (or solutions). And most of the problems in the future will come from technologies we are creating today.” - KEVIN KELLY - WIRED

In this workshop, groups examine the unintended consequences of changes and use those to inspire new potential opportunities and be prepared for the uncertain. It looks beyond the common understanding of new technologies, challenging participants to discover unexpected potential and how it might be harnessed. We will use a very simple tool for that called Futures Wheel.

Facilitator: Carolina Perrone
Graduated in Product Design from UFRGS, master in Behavioral Design also from UFRGS and postgraduate degree in Neuroscience and Behavior from PUCRS, in Brazil. Currently works as Design Manager at Nubank for the Lending BU. In addition, is a Speaker at Hyper Island.

Format: in-person

Date and time: Tuesday, Jan 30, 13:00 – 14:30

How to participate: The sign ups go on a first come, first served basis. You can sign up using this form.

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