AtlasofWeakSignal2

Was a very interesting class about understanding how we as designers can start to see trends, issues and opportunities in the future and what it could mean to bring these to other designers through the original deck we learned with during term 1. Back then I was already curious about the way AOWS portrayed certain issues and felt that the cards could be changed to incorporate newer and more relevant problems that we face. Even in the past 7 months so much has happened in the world that I once again have shifted perspective. We started the class with a relevant exercise of taking a moment to situated ourselves in relation not only to place but scenario of the world. We are currently in a time of turmoil with wars, natural disasters and other political issues coming forth. This was important to realize as when creating the cards we did during thos exercise one always takes their mood with them.

Understanding Future Problems

The first exercise we did was quite broad and was to write down things happen in relation to 6 areas. It was interesting to see how the first things that appeared on the Miro board were all negative and focussed on problems. Thankfully as some time passed also solutions, recent innovations and food for thought were added to the board. I felt that the exercise was a bit hard to get into but once I had written a few things down it really worked.

For the next part I worked together with Marius, Jorge and Sophie to cluster and group certain ideas and dive deeper into the areas of interest. We researched different topics, but with some of the things they were a bit polarized as depending on the research paper or news article we had a lot of different possibilities for themes and new cards.

We then spent some time then looking at the ideas and trying to understand in which category they fell. From the contradictions in the areas to the cards that fell more under practices. This exercise really allowed for deeper look at the way the potential themes might be viewed by a designer. I think it could potentially also be key to do this exercise again in the future with the full deck to see if there is enough of a spread to be even and inspiring.

The Created Cards

After all our work researching and understanding the impact of the cards it was time to create a new set of cards for the AOWS deck. We focussed on the theme ""Life in Times of Growing Interdependent Complexity". Within this area we tried to really narrow the cards down to things that could inspire future designers to think out of the box and consider the global scale and impact of designs.

Critically Assessing Our Cards

The final part of this day seminar was to place our cards in the circle shown on the left. We did this by holding a collaborative discussion with other peers and seeing how we viewed different topics. This was important to me as it allowed for me to see what others understood about the created cards and also gave me some time to reflect and see what areas these cards could potentially generate solutions in. Our cards were predominantly in the doing and knowing rings of this reflection, which makes sense as we were more focussed on global impact which is slightly less of the being state. Other then that we had a nice spread between the different rings.

Reflecting on AOWS 2

This seminar I felt was a nice way to link my knowledge back to one of the very first courses during this masters. It showed me that even in such a short span of time a lot has changed in the world and the way we operate. As the world is constantly changing so our the designs that we are doing and the way AOWS work is that they should be constantly updated.

When looking at the created cards that I made and see potential in the way they try to give governance to the people and allow for designers all over the world to alter them to fit their own context. I was interested in seeing how collaboration and new technologies could come together in the future. As our future and society is growing more complex I see a need for these cards to challenge and inspire designers to see the need for multi-facet design.

I think what really intrigued me about this course was the way that we started from seemingly nothing and within a day we as a class had made cards that incorporated a range of problems that I see in the future. I feel that while these cards are a great starting block, it would be necessary to do more research into the various topics chosen to really understand if what we developed is actually a weak signal or perhaps already a strong signal or area of opportunity. This criticality would allow for a future deck to be more grounded in the situations of the future.

The final part of the seminar was a relatively new way of reflection for me. I have used a similar method in the past but the way we did it in the physical space instead of on paper gave it a new twist. Hearing people talk about our cards and how they viewed them. I think that this allowed me to understand that when you are making starting blocks for designers they might not be interpreted in the same way as you mean. It is therefore needed to take more time and go back on the research done and see if maybe by collaborating with others, other cards might emerge.

Overall, I feel the experience underscored the importance of foresight, collaboration, and adaptability in navigating an increasingly complex and interconnected world as designers. It challenged me to broaden my perspective, consider diverse viewpoints, and embrace uncertainty as an opportunity for innovation and growth.

Atlas of Weak Signals 2

Understanding the trends of the future and researching what new weak signals might be

Understanding Future Problems

The Created Cards

Critically Assessing Our Cards

Reflecting on AOWS 2