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Becoming More Curious About the Future:
ReadySetFuture_
Cassini Nazir1(B), Mike Courtney2, and Kuo Wei Lee3
1University of North Texas, Denton, TX, USA
cassini.nazir@unt.edu
2Aperio Insights, Dallas, TX, USA
mike@aperionsights.com
3Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
klee934@gatech.edu
Abstract. This paper shows how a tool that explore future possibilities, ReadySet-
Future_, helped a major automotive maker understand how shifts in consumer
values may impact the features and use cases that surprise and delight future
vehicle consumers in the year 2033. It contrasts two common mindsets when
thinking about the future: a there is no alternative (TINA) mindset and a there are
many alternatives (TAMA) mindset. The future contains numerous alternatives
and possibilities, ripe for exploration and proactive planning. ReadySetFuture_
was included in a series of workshops to cultivate a heightened sense of curios-
ity about future possibilities. The paper examines the planning and development
stages of ReadySetFuture_ and highlights key findings that demonstrates how the
tool enhances users’ curiosity. The paper details the design, development, and
testing processes, emphasizing its approaches to evoke curiosity. Additionally, it
discusses the strategic integration of various curiosity-invoking techniques, which
contributes to a more extensive approach to futures thinking. The game’s success
in generating over 100 scenarios across workshops highlights its effectiveness in
encouraging participants to explore diverse perspectives on potential futures.
Keywords: Curiosity ·Futures thinking ·Alternative futures ·Co-creation ·
Design tools ·Card decks
1 Introduction
All design work negotiates with the future. A present-day plan is executed over time,
ultimately realizing an outcome in some near or distant future. If the often-quoted defini-
tion of design from Herbert Simon is correct—that design is devising “courses of action
aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones” [1]—Ramia Mazé reminds us
that this preferred future is not empty. It is “loaded with our fantasies, aspirations and
fears” [2]. Long-held beliefs and assumptions about a future that looks all too similar to
the present block new ways of perceiving the future. The past inexorably pushes its way
into the future. These intense emotions and deeply entrenched beliefs can sometimes
overshadow or suppress curiosity about the future.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2024
A. Marcus et al. (Eds.): HCII 2024, LNCS 14713, pp. 336–352, 2024.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61353-1_23
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 337
Inayatullah [3] triangulates this tension, distributing the weight of the past, the
present’s push, and the future’s pull against each other. The inertia of the present is exem-
plified in four words frequently employed by former British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher in speeches on the market economy: there is no alternative [4]. Those words,
eventually shortened to TINA, convey an entrenched belief in a near-unstoppable flow
of the present trajectory and suggest an inability to forge new paths or insurmountable
difficulties in clearing the way.
The acronym made famous by Thatcher has its limits: Resisting the push of the
present and the weight of the past is possible. Tony Fry called such a resistance defu-
turing [5]. When current unsustainable practices and lifestyles shape an undesirable
or unsustainable future, they must be critically examined, challenging the prevailing
assumptions and trajectories that lead to those futures. The future contains numerous
alternatives and possibilities, ripe for exploration and proactive planning. The idea that
there are many alternatives, or TAMA—a much less pleasant-sounding acronym but still
better than Susan George’s slogan another world is possible or AWIP [6]—is deceiv-
ingly simple. Understanding the idea is easy enough. Visualizing those alternatives can
be incredibly challenging. Additionally, we often confuse which situations are TINA
and which are TAMA. Starting from the TAMA mindset—where alternatives abound,
if we can find them—forces us into the hard work of discovery.
As important as the future is, organizations struggle to utilize frameworks and exer-
cises that help them systematically plan and prepare for future possibilities. This paper
introduces an online futures game called ReadySetFuture_ that invites the exploration of
useful and relevant future possibilities. It will show the context of how this custom-built
card game came to be, its inspiration, how the game is played, and approaches used to
invite curiosity in participants.
2 Workshop Background
2.1 Workshop Goals
A major automotive maker invited Aperio Insights [7], a Dallas-based research and strate-
gic foresight agency, to conduct four two-day workshops from May through September
2023. The workshop was designed to help a major automotive maker understand how
shifts in consumer values may impact the features and use cases that surprise and delight
future vehicle consumers in the year 2033.
Aperio Insights (from this point forward referred to as the design team) developed a
foresight toolkit that includes workshop exercises to help the engineering group imagine
scenarios of the 10 or more years into the future and explore how these changes will
influence traditional mobility solutions. The design team conducted these workshops
with cross-functional teams across the automaker’s organization to identify potential
unmet consumer needs in 2033. The sessions had three overarching goals:
1. Teach workshop participants how to utilize basic foresight methods.
2. Create future scenarios and stories on appropriate time horizons.
3. Challenge present assumptions and identify both possibilities and problems.
338 C. Nazir et al.
The parameters of the workshop, as defined by the client, did not require the use of
a game or cards. The design team decided that creating an interactive card game would
help the automotive maker’s employees better retain the information presented during
the workshop, enable the teams to better explore unforeseen or difficult-to-imagine
combinations of potential scenarios, and enable anyone in the organization—even those
who did not attend the workshop—to use the card game.
Each of the four workshops had 15 to 50 participants. The ReadySetFuture_ game was
conducted in the second, third, and fourth workshops. The game’s adaptability across
various levels of expertise and backgrounds was showcased by participants ranging
from subject matter experts (SMEs) to executive/administration teams. Participants were
gathered in circular tables, each holding eight people. Teams were divided by tables. The
workshop with the largest number of participants had eight teams, each with no more
than eight people. Throughout the workshop, the design team roved around the tables
and assisted each team as needed. ReadySetFuture_ was only one of a series of activities
held during the two days allotted for the workshop.
Three important questions permeated the creation of activities for the workshop in
general and ReadySetFuture_ in particular.
2.2 Whose Job is It to Think About the Future?
Some organizations commonly relegate the task of envisioning the future to a small
handful of leaders, a specialized department, or external consultants. Although research
and development teams often handle this vital task, it is critical that all business units
understand potential future scenarios and cultivate the ability to respond quickly and
efficiently to change. Encouraging thinking about the future more broadly throughout
the organization not only increases the surface area of ideas explored (see Fig. 1)but
also can create a culture of futures literacy [8] throughout various business units. For
example, the design team proposed “Foresight Fridays”: a weekly or bi-weekly half-
hour event at the end of the week where business units throughout the organization use
ReadySetFuture_ and strengthen the future-thinking capabilities of their employees.
Fig. 1. Comparison of surface area explored when thinking about the future is prioritized by
research and development teams versus a distributed approach across the entire organization.
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 339
2.3 What Role Does Artificial Intelligence Play?
Global management consulting firm McKinsey named 2023 as the “breakout year” for
generative AI [9]. In that year, generative AI tools sparked broad interest across various
business sectors, with more companies finally experimenting with the tools and dis-
covering new purposes they might serve in their organization. One-third of respondents
in the McKinsey survey reported their organization’s use of generative AI [9]. During
development, we viewed future thinking as being enhanced by generative AI tools, with
ReadySetFuture_ acting as a complementary counterpart.
2.4 How Might We Surface Grand Challenges?
Grand challenges are complex issues that transcend national borders and pose significant
hurdles to humanity. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals identified by the United
Nations are one example of grand challenges. Because “the fundamental principles
underlying a grand challenge are the pursuit of bold ideas and the adoption of less
conventional approaches to tackling large, unresolved problems,” [10]weframedthe
workshops as not just uncovering scenarios, problems, and possibilities that might affect
business units but also an opportunity the surface large, overarching challenges the
organization will likely face. Addressing grand challenges requires collaboration among
various stakeholders: governments, communities, businesses, non-profit organizations,
and academia. Similarly, the design team felt that if the organization could identify a
limited number of grand challenges from this workshop, addressing these challenges
would require collaboration among business units in cross-functional teams. At the
end of the fourth and final workshop, nine grand challenges that the organization will
inevitably confront in the near or far future were identified.
3 Inspiration for ReadySetFuture_
3.1 Cards: Tools for Future Thinking
Cards are practical, tactile ideation tools. Wölfel & Merritt [11] surveyed 18 phys-
ical card-based design tools, identifying three archetypes of cards: (i) general pur-
pose/repository cards, (ii) customizable cards, and (iii) context-specific cards. While
their work delves into tools used in design, an inherently future-oriented domain, it
notably lacks cards commonly used by futurists or in strategic foresight settings. While
Wölfel & Merritt place general purpose and customizable cards into discrete categories,
we feel this categorization need not be separate, which we will demonstrate later in this
paper. Roy and Warren reviewed 155 card-based design tools in a more comprehensive
analysis [12]. Their classification system identified the specific domains of use rather
than the type of usage, providing a more nuanced landscape of card-based tools. The six
categories Roy and Warren identify are:
•Creative thinking and problem-solving
•Domain-specific design
•Human-centered design
340 C. Nazir et al.
•Systematic design methods and procedures
•Team building and collaborative working
•Futures thinking
The existence of more than 150 card-based design tools calls to mind John Zimmer-
man’s observation that “design methods are like toothbrushes. Everyone uses them, but
no one likes to use someone else’s.” [13]. The diversity of card-based tools reminds us
that there are many alternatives (TAMA), each offering tailored approaches and unique
functionalities to apprehend uncertain futures.
3.2 Card Inspiration
The design team drew inspiration from a small subset of these 155 cards. Below, we offer
concise descriptions of four tools and outline the specific characteristics that inspired
the development of ReadySetFuture_.
The Thing from the Future (2015). In Other Prior Projects, the Design Team Used
Stewart Candy and Jeff Watson’s the Thing from the Future (TTFTF). TTFTF Uses Four
Suits: Arc, Terrain, Object, and Mood (Fig. 2). in This Game, Four Cards Are Selected
from the Deck. All Participants Craft a Scenario that Incorporates All Four Cards. Par-
ticipants then Vote to Identify the Most Interesting, Provocative, or Funny Scenario. The
Winner Retains the Cards for that Round, and the Participant Who Accumulates the
Most Cards is the Overall Winner of the Game.
Fig. 2. Example of suits in the futures card game The Thing From The Future.
The four types of cards in The Thing From The Future [14] include:
•Arc, the type of future, based on Dator’s four futures archetypes [15] and the appli-
cable time horizon. Dator’s archetypes include Continued Growth, Collapse, Disci-
plined Society, and Transformational Society. The example in Fig. 2shows growth
30 years from now.
•Terrain, the context for the object, either a physical location (education) or domain
of human activity (security).
•Object, a category of the hypothetical future thing (postcard).
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 341
•Mood, the feeling when interacting with the hypothetical thing (excitement).
The accessibility, collaborative nature, and simplicity of Candy’s TTFTF inspired
the design team significantly. The gameplay inherently affords multiple alternatives and
varied viewpoints about the future.
Near Future Laboratory Work Kit (2022). As a Companion to His 2022 Book the
Manual of Design Fiction [16], Julian Bleeker Introduced a Work Kit Featuring 102
Cards. Like TTFTF, There Are Four Categories of cards—archetype, Object, Attribute,
and action—collectively Offering “916,038 Unique Possible Future Products, Services,
Experiences, Scenarios and Situations.” [17].
Fabien Girardin, a Bleeker’s Near Future Laboratory member, encourages finding a
way to “balance optimism, pragmatism, and critics from multiple perspectives” when
crafting design fiction [18]. To that end, the Design Fiction cards recommend a 70/20/10
ratio for balancing these components: 70% of ideas focus on desirable outcomes, 20%
on open questions, and 10% on critical viewpoints. The notion of identifying desirable
outcomes while also actively considering plausible but less desirable scenarios was
significant for the design team.
First Five Minutes of the Future (2020). Much like Dante’s Inferno, Jane McGonigal’s
First Five Minutes of the Future (FFMF) Immerses Participants in Medias Res of an
Awkward or Unfamiliar Future Scenario, Challenging Them to Navigate Through the
Initial Five Minutes of that Future. Unlike Candy’s TTFTF and Bleeker’s Work Kit,
FFMF is Purely Prompt-Based, Without Any Cards. For Example, McGonigal Crafted
the Following Prompt for Participants of the Institute for the Future’s Ten-Year Forecast
Event in September 2020:
“Your workplace sends you a pair of smart shoes it would like you to wear as a
condition of employment. Each shoe has sensors in it that track your location, activity,
weight, and social proximity (who you are standing near or walking by). It also detects
air quality and viruses like SARS-CoV-2.” [19].
McGonigal asks participants to “freewrite”: describe whatever comes to mind with-
out editing, removing, or recrafting sentences. The sequence of these questions is essen-
tial. Participants first explore the emotional landscape of this potential future before
delving into questions that focus on strategic planning and preparation:
•What actions do you take in the first 5 min after being informed of the new “Smart
shoe” policy?
•How do you feel?
•What do you think others might do?
•What is one real action you could take in the next few days or weeks to feel more
prepared for the first 5 min of this scenario if it were really to happen?
The design team valued FFMF for quickly submerging participants into an uncom-
fortably plausible future and the ways it encourages exploration of both emotional
responses and necessary actions in the unfamiliar context. By allowing fears about
the future to be felt and named before exploring rational options, FFMF provides a
comprehensive engagement with future scenarios.
342 C. Nazir et al.
Teach the Future (2013). Futurist Peter Bishop Established the International Non-
Profit Organization Teach the Future to Promote Futures Literacy as an Essential Life
Skill [20]. Because Bishop Felt that Futures Literacy Should not Only Be Taught in
Universities but also Available to Everyone at an Early Age, He Developed the Teach the
Future Website as a Comprehensive Platform that Includes Resources, Events, Profiles,
and Tools Tailored for Teachers. World Futures Day, an Annual Event Instituted in
2013, Invites a 24-H Global Conversation Aimed at Building a Better Future for All.
Foregrounding the Concept of Futures Literacy for All Was a Significant Idea for the
Design Team. This also Meant Eliminating Barriers to Entry for the Client’s Business
Units and Fostering an Environment Where the Only Limitation is One’s Imagination.
The design team drew additional inspiration for what ReadySetFuture_ might
become from other sources, such as the online game Cards of Hope from the Finnish
Innovation Fund Sitra [21] and the playful The Niche from the Future from Deep Transi-
tions Lab [22]. One overarching goal remained throughout this research and exploration:
create situations to cultivate participants’ curiosity, rendering them more open to multiple
alternatives and possibilities of the future.
4 ReadySetFuture_
This section of the paper will describe suits used in the game, gameplay, the development
and refinement of ReadySetFuture, and ways it invites curiosity in participants.
4.1 Suits in the Card Deck
Cards, by necessity, borrow from the world from which they were created. Suits in early
Medieval playing cards reflected the social structure of the courts: cups and chalices
(now hearts) symbolized the clergy; swords (spades) represented the military; coins
(diamonds) signified merchants; and batons (clubs) were associated with peasants [23–
25]. In a contemporary context, the five distinctive suits of ReadySetFuture_ encapsulate
aspects of modern life that have long arcs into the future and resonate with enduring
societal dynamics. The ReadySetFuture_ deck comprises five suits:
•Consumer Segments
•Driving Forces
•Timeless Needs
•Emerging Technologies
•Context and Scenarios
Table 1defines each suit, how the tool that suit is based on is commonly used when
envisioning the future, and an example. Figure 3shows the visual design of each suit.
Each card within the five suits is a product of extensive research, encompassing consumer
insights, market research, secondary research, and academic sources. The effort was a
collaboration between the client and the design team.
To help participants understand how all five suits fit together, the design team dia-
grammed a sentence with each element (Fig. 4): Consumer segments have timeless needs,
which are affected by driving forces and trends that can be meaningfully addressed by
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 343
Table 1. The Five Suits in ReadySetFuture_
Suit Definition How it is used Example(s)
Consumer
Segments
7total
The client’s current
consumer segments,
identified through
market research
Used to gain consumer
mindsets: how they
think, feel, act and place
value
Adults age 65 +
Driving Forces
14 total
A fundamental source
of change that sends
trends into motion. A
trend is pattern or a
general direction in
which something is
developing
Because Driving Forces
have longer arcs than
trends, use to explain
current trends and
explore possible future
changes
Medical advancements
in healthcare enable
preventive care for
age-related conditions
Timeless Needs
25 total
Universal needs not
rooted in a particular
time, location, or
context. These are
needs that humans have
had in the past, present
and will very likely
appear in the future
Used to explore new
ways of satisfying
current or future needs
using technology. Helps
explore how products or
services may change
over time horizons
Physical comfort
Mobility and
independence
Emerging
Technologies
31 total
Technology whose
development and
application are not yet
fully realized
Used to address
Timeless Needs and
solve problems in new
ways
Generative AI
Context and
Scenarios
49 total
Factors that can affect
any of the above in
various subtle but
important ways
Used to explore how
small factors impact
customer segment’s
experiences
Relaxed vs rushed
Fig. 3. Examples of playing cards in ReadSetFuture_. Icons by Oleksandr Panasovskyi.
344 C. Nazir et al.
emerging technologies—all happening in unique contexts and scenarios that add nuance.
The diagram served as a reference for participants during the workshop, helping them
unravel how each might shape the future and the relationships among elements.
Fig. 4. A diagrammed sentence showing how each ReadySetFuture_ card fits together.
4.2 Timeless Needs
An essential aspect of ReadySetFuture_ is the Timeless Needs suit. Because clients had
difficulties imagining future possibilities in radically different ways from the present or
with technologies in current use, Mike Courtney introduced the idea of Timeless Needs.
He realized that if the current technology layer that services an underlying human need
could be stripped away, we could reimagine new ways to serve that need. As outlined
in Table 1, Timeless Needs are universal human needs that transcend temporal and
geographic boundaries. These needs are deeply ingrained in the context of a domain
being explored (e.g., the home, mobility, or indoor climate) and persist across time.
They are needs that we have had in the past, currently have in the present, and will
have in the future. Exploring Timeless Needs creates a foundation for thinking about the
future by addressing broad human needs that are not likely to change in a meaningful
range of time. Table 2provides examples of Timeless Needs and a brief synopsis of how
those needs were met in the past and are being met in the present. The empty space in
the last column opens up possibilities for how that need might be met in the future.
When thinking about Timeless Needs, it is important to keep in mind that they:
•Are not based on time, technology, or culture. While values and behaviors may evolve,
shaped, and molded by consumer demands and desires, the underlying human needs
remain constant.
•Can be a foundation for personas and products. Regardless of persona, job-to-be-
done, product, or sector, the need propels consumer behavior or human action.
•Free us from thinking in terms of current technology. If we separate the need from
the technology, we can be open to new ways of satisfying the need.
•Require thinking in longer time horizons. Finding underlying needs can help organi-
zations connect quarterly product roadmaps to longer-term goals (five or more years
into the future).
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 345
Table 2. Domains, Timeless Needs, and ways the need was/is/will be met
Domain Timeless Need How the need was/is/will be met in the…
Past Present Future
The home Clean and odor free We kept the home
clean through manual
effort and/or hard
chemicals
Harsh chemical
cleaners give some
way to natural
cleaners
?
Mobility Communicate to and
from the mobility
vehicle
We communicated by
honking the horn,
flashing lights, or
through hand gestures
Vehicles now sync
with the phone,
allowing calls and
other communication
?
Indoor Climate Maintain a
comfortable indoor
temperature
We maintained
temperature by
building fires or using
clothing to keep warm
or cool
We now use heating,
ventilation, and air
conditioning units
?
•Complement Maslow’s Hierarchy and Brand’s Pace Layers. Depending on the con-
text, Timeless Needs can be foregrounded (critical or important in that moment) or
backgrounded (forgotten, overlooked, or not currently important).
•Are commonly paired with an Assumption-Reversal activity. This includes activities
that explore alternative ways to service this need except how it is met currently.
Because Timeless Needs help to detach associations built up over time (such as
the product, systems, and services presently in place to meet that need), they assist in
bringing a TAMA (there are many alternatives) mindset forward.
4.3 Gameplay
Building on the interactive approach from The Thing From the Future, gameplay in
ReadySetFuture_ revolves around selecting a set of cards from which all participants
at the table then craft scenarios. Three distinct prompts guide participants in capturing
possible experiences, identifying consumer needs, and exploring associated emotions
related to the hand at play (Fig. 5).
There are 126 cards in the ReadySetFuture_ deck, nearly two and a half times as many
as in a standard poker deck. Such a large number of cards can be unmanageable for new
players. While the deck features five suits, the gameplay does not require that all suits be
played in the game. By making the deck playable with a few suits (a minimum of two),
we hoped to undo the tension pair that Wölfel & Merritt [11] identified between general
purpose and customizable cards. When ReadySetFuture_ was introduced in workshops,
the design team began by using only two suits, Timeless Needs and Driving Forces, to
onboard participants in understanding the game mechanics.
To further facilitate initiation into gameplay, AI-generated thought starters accom-
pany each card dealt. These thought starters, generated by OpenAI’s ChatGPT 3.5,
346 C. Nazir et al.
Timeless Needs and DrivingForces
card s inter sect wi th ot her fac tors t hat
shape t he consumer experi ence
Prompt s capt ure exper iences,
consum er needs, and f eelings related
to thecardsin the hand
Al- generat ed t hou ght star t ers provid
e
longer descript ion for each card
Fig. 5. An overview of the ReadySetFuture_ game
provide extended descriptions for each card, helping participants understand the dense
information more quickly and initiate the ideation process. ReadySetFuture_ was com-
pleted in time for the second workshop in a series of four. Participants in the second,
third, and fourth workshops generated more than 100 scenarios in ReadySetFuture_.
4.4 Design, Development, and Testing
ReadySetFuture_ originated from a physical card-based brainstorming exercise devel-
oped by the design team in 2019 that helped participants reimagine possibilities for
in-vehicle experiences (Fig. 6). ReadySetFuture_ expanded the 2019 activity into an
online card game to ensure the cards could be updated, changed, and adapted over time.
Because of the cost of printing multiple deck sets with 126 cards, digital gameplay for
ReadySetFuture_ took precedence in the design and development. No physical cards
were printed for the workshops.
The name ReadySetFuture_ calls to mind the phrase commonly used to initiate a
race or competition: Ready, set, go! The trailing underscore appended to the name is
reminiscent of the blinking cursor of a terminal window awaiting input from the user.
The ReadySetFuture_ cards (Fig. 3) were designed to have a variety of visual cues:
color and iconography indicate each suit, vibrant colors, and clear iconography, which
suggests a category system that aids users in navigation through different themes and
exercises. The card layout was crafted with software-development in mind. The visual or
information elements on the cards can be managed through external data-management
resources such as an Airtable spreadsheet or a JSON file.
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 347
Fig. 6. A 2019 card-based brainstorming exercise and predecessor of ReadySetFuture_. Hand-
drawn images by Cyrene Quiamco.
ReadySetFuture was developed using the open-source React-based web framework
Next.js and deployed on the Vercel cloud platform. Participant submissions are saved to
the cloud-based database Airtable, which also provides a user-friendly interface for the
client to organize and download information. Airtable also makes updating the individual
cards very easy. Inputs can be stored and retrieved quickly. Two rounds of informal usabil-
ity testing and targeted focus play-throughs generated several interface improvements
before launching to the client.
5 Approaches to Curiosity
The design team strategically incorporated ways to evoke curiosity when designing
gameplay interactions. Tieben et al. use the phrase “making people curious” in the title
of a 2011 conference paper on curiosity [26]. This paper’s authors believe that designers
can only invite curiosity [27], creating conditions whereby individuals might be more
curious.
The design team employed a subset of 10 common approaches identified by Nazir
[28], listed in Table 3, in both ReadySetFuture_ gameplay and overall workshop
facilitation. This section will delineate those approaches.
348 C. Nazir et al.
Table 3. A 10 Common Approaches Used to Invite Curiosity (Nazir, 2023)
Approaches, organized alphabetically
Challenge Obscure
Delay Play
Hide Perceptual
Humor Sensory
Novelty Te ase
5.1 Challenge
An appropriate challenge is the center of most gameplay. Csikszentmihalyi notes that we
are more likely to enter a flow state when a game balances a challenge appropriate to the
participant’s skill level [29]. As mentioned earlier, the design team introduced only two
suits at the game’s introduction. As participants gained greater skill and understanding
of the game, the source of these challenges turned from external motivations to internal.
After early rounds of gameplay, some participants felt the need for a greater challenge,
adding in additional cards. For example, of the 96 submissions generated in the third
and fourth workshops, about two-thirds (60 submissions) used two or more cards. As
one navigates through an enjoyable game, participants become more curious about their
abilities to withstand greater and greater challenges.
5.2 Delay
As Nazir notes, the worst thing one can do with a good question is to answer it too
quickly [30]. Creating a delay is an overlooked way to develop a TAMA (there are many
alternatives) mindset. Workshop participants were actively encouraged to find additional
alternatives or ways of seeing the hand. By encouraging moments of delay followed by
a brief period of reflection, 165 alternatives were identified from the 96 submissions in
the third and fourth workshops. A participant’s first response should not be their only
response.
Encouraging alternatives was evident in the phrases used in the workshops. Rather
than using the question stem “How might we…,” commonly employed in design practice,
the design team reinforced a TAMA mindset by using the phrase “What are ways…”
The difference between the two is more than semantics. While seasoned designers have
trained themselves to come up with multiple ideas, workshop participants, primarily
composed of non-designers from various business units across the organization, were
not. When an answer to a question has been presented, non-designers hold a common
sentiment: “We have found an answer to the question. Let us now move on.” The phrase
“What are ways…” more clearly foregrounds the importance of identifying multiple
alternatives in non-designers and invites a spirit of curiosity to seek them out.
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 349
5.3 Novelty
In a well-known story by Washington Irving, Rip Van Winkle wakes from a 20-year
slumber only to find that the American Revolution has passed and that he now lives
in a vastly different world. The future holds many novelties, which can be disorienting
and exciting. A rapidly warming climate, ubiquitous surveillance, and social media are
novelties of 21st-century life that a person sleeping since the 20th century might find
alarming, disorienting, or altogether strange. A fundamental aspect of the gameplay
was to look at familiar things in new ways, which Bell et al. [31] describe as making
strange or strange-making. Facilitators encouraged participants to follow intuitions or
hunches about future experiences that, to present-day eyes, seem strange, unlikely, or
even counterintuitive.
5.4 Obscure
William Gibson’s often quoted aphorism, “The future is already here – it’s just not
evenly distributed” serves as the foundation for this approach to curiosity. In the con-
text of ReadySetFuture_, the obscure approach refers to the practice among futurists of
scanning the horizon, or simply monitoring current events, trends, and emerging devel-
opments in order to identify possibilities. As opposed to the approach of hide, where the
entirety of the thing is covered, obscure may show parts of it. In contrast to the tease app-
roach, obscure does not necessarily imply intentionality. Participants were encouraged
to explore obscure technologies in order to uncover potential uses.
5.5 Perceptual
At the beginning of each two-day workshop, the organization’s market research team
presented a short video that showcased how their consumer segments reacted to the
current market offerings. They also provided the participants with detailed, up-to-date
research materials about each segment. As previously mentioned, the design team found
inspiration in Jane McGonigal’s First Five Minutes of the Future and how it surfaced
feelings about the future. Workshop participants used Timeless Needs as a reference
point to identify the emotions that consumer segments might experience during these
changes. This approach helped participants to see possibilities through multiple eyes
and invited curiosity around actual end-user needs instead of superficial features or
technological advancements.
5.6 Additional Futures Tools
While this paper discusses a game played during a two-day workshop and its relationship
to arousing curiosity in participants, it is important to briefly note the other future-
oriented activities that contributed to this environment.
Futures Wheel. The Futures Wheel is a Visual Tool that Puts a Source of Change at
the Center, and Various Spokes Radiate Outward. Each Spoke Explores First-, Second-,
and Third-Order Implications of that Change. This Tool Helps Systematically Analyze
the Effects of a Decision or Event.
350 C. Nazir et al.
Assumption Reversal. The Assumption Reversal technique challenges conventional
assumptions related to a problem or situation. Participants first clearly articulate as many
deeply held assumptions about the problem as they can. Then, participants systematically
challenge each assumption fundamentally by opposing or reversing it. For example, if
the assumption is that “vehicles have four wheels,” reversals might include “vehicles
have anything but four wheels,” “vehicles no longer need wheels,” or “vehicles can fly.”
Technology Two Ways. The Design Team Adapted Marshall McLuhan’s Tetrad
[32] to Explore Four Questions About Emerging Technologies. These Four Questions
Help Product Development Teams to Think Through Various Alternatives a Technology
Might Afford Throughout Its Lifetime.
•Where might this technology first appear in a user’s life?
•What tasks are dramatically impacted when this technology has matured?
•How might this technology enhance consumer experiences?
•What problems might arise alongside this technology?
6 Discussion and Conclusion
This paper introduced the concept of design’s role in shaping the future, outlined the
development and implementation of the game ReadySetFuture_ in a series of work-
shops, and explored various approaches ReadySetFuture_ and the workshops used to
invite curiosity in participants. The workshops and ReadySetFuture_ were designed to
encourage participants from various business units in a major automotive organization to
think more broadly about the future. It discussed ways to challenge assumptions, explore
alternative futures, and engage participants in creative thinking about potential scenar-
ios. Activities were designed to increase the total surface area of ideas and possibilities
explored.
Based on the results of these initial workshops, additional factors must be considered.
First, the output of these workshops is a function of not just who participates but also
how steeped they are in thinking about alternatives and futures and how imaginative
they can be. Jerome Glenn, the creator of the Futures Wheel, notes, “The Futures Wheel
is no better than the collective judgments of those involved” [33]. This is true not only
for the Futures Wheel but also for all workshop activities. This highlights the need for
organizations to build a culture of future literacy, a daunting but increasingly necessary
task.
Additional improvements are needed to make ReadySetFuture_ ready for broader
public use. These include exploring the game’s application in diverse fields/areas to foster
a broader range of future-ready thinkers, crafting more straightforward instructions for
participants, conducting additional gameplay tests, and finding appropriate topics tied
to the game. More research needs to be conducted to explore curiosity’s relationship to
the futures literacy. Zurn and Shankar describe the burgeoning field of curiosity studies
[34] as a broad, transdisciplinary effort. Situating futures literacy in curiosity studies
may help unravel the pervasive there is no alternative (TINA) mindset and foster greater
exploration of additional mindsets. After all, there are many alternatives.
Becoming More Curious About the Future: ReadySetFuture_ 351
Acknowledgments. Quyen Nguyen, Tom Rau, Rita Gomez-Boren, Meah Lin, Jonathan Tran,
Saja Noor, Lydia Bazan, Rebekah Irizarry, Ariana Hill, Duncan Moore, Arianna Michaud,
Kennedy-Alexis Staples, Sophia Carswell, Olivia Palomo, Abigail Morales, Michael Gibson,
Keith Owens, Omari Souza, Roger Malina, and Johann Schutte.
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