Design Fiction
Why limit yourself to only one vision for the future?
What do we mean by talking about Design Fiction?
The process of design fiction starts with the creation of scenarios of possible futures that are rooted in the present yet include new developments, significantly altering market needs and opportunities.
PAST
Learning from the past means also learning from possible futures that never happened.
PRESENT
Through imagining different future outcomes, we strengthen strategies in the present.
FUTURES
Storytelling helps us to backcast from preferable future scenarios.
Our Methodology - Design Fiction
Design Fiction allows us back-casting from scenarios of possible futures into the present while equipping us with a flexible mindset towards business strategy and innovation thinking.
| TRADITIONAL APPROACH | DESIGN FICTION APPROACH |
| Attempt to Reduce uncertainty Limited to one vision Predicting a probable future Analyse the competition |
Turning uncertainty into opportunity Expanding the field of possibilities Cultivate our imagination Conceive new ideas that respond to possible futures Back-casting to act in the present |
A new framework
Story and scenario telling are one of the oldest and most important of human technologies.
Our Design Fiction framework is a toolset for reasoning about the world and communicating that reasoning to each other through scenarios. Akin to strategic foresight tools, these scenarios emerge from analysis of current trends and weak signals, but –and importantly– they also build on analogous situations, science fiction, and interviews with extreme users.
Imagination is key
Design fiction brings imagination to the front seat – going beyond probabilities and trying to predict the future – in order to ensure that companies survive possible futures by adjusting the activities they perform and how these are performed.
Explore some of our key projects
Design Fiction framework for Chanel: unveil scenarios about possible future for the luxury industry.
The Schoolab team used its unique Design Fiction framework to unveil scenarios about the future of the luxury industry and the positioning of Chanel
Co-building a CSR vision and action plan with Design Fiction
Bel Vietnam needed to reconnect with its “daring” value with a new clear direction for its CSR actions as well as to connect with the global CSR mandate to focus on these key areas in Vietnam: healthier food, fight against climate change, sustainable agriculture, accessibility & affordability, responsible packaging.
Deplastify The Planet: Designing a plastic-free car
UC Berkeley students and Furecia teamed-up to design a plastic-free car a cleaner supply chain by sourcing a natural fiber that can replace the use of plastic by 50%.
L’Oréal launches a school in less than a year!
The French world leader in beauty designs a disruptive hairdressing school with Schoolab.
Learning Expedition in New York: Exploring PropTech
VINCI immobilier went on a Schoolab Learning Expedition in New York City to realign their innovation strategy studying PropTech.
Using blockchain technology to help track plastic waste
At Schoolab’s “Deplastify the Planet”, Lonely Whale teamed up with four UC Berkeley students to solve the traceability issue of plastic waste, and create an incentive system for companies to use recycled and upcycled plastics.
Société Générale's Conversion to Digital Documentation
To streamline the production of a reference document and make it available in digital format, Société Générale decides to organize an internal hackathon.
