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This weeks resource material included a link to Future Labratory.com, a future consultancy. They forecast trends, give consumer insights and brand strategy.

2025 Trends & Prospects for human intelligence¹

• AI (intelligence also involves other tech such as quantum engineering)
• Future Spaces (wellbeing, sustainability, technology)
• Gaming
• Longevity to Singularity (live longer and better lives; humans will merge with tech wearables such as smartwatches, biotech)
• Sustainability
• algorithmic echoes -> “Trapped in hyper-personalised algorithms with content – and products – that keep validating their beliefs, consumers need brands to begin a new age of discovery”, “echo chamber” digital bubble, driven by algorithms and personalisation, reinforces our existing viewpoints and filters through the lenses of confirmation bias (see it also critical)
• layered realities: AR, R, XR, MR
• Gen Quantum -> future generations; how to target a demographic whose future jobs/hobbies don’t exist yet?

=> A future that is supercharged not enslaved by tech => technology will become more human

Research task: 1. Evaluate emerging trends that are relevant to your project. 2. Develop a concise three-sentence positioning (or mission) statement for your project. 3. Understand how new fields of practice can be considered in order to inform the direction of your creative strategy

After checking the 2025 trends of future labratory i believe my brief idea has potential in mentioned points:

• Future Spaces. I am not exactly sure what is meant here. But a space can be anything from virtual to physical.
• Gaming: Its a kind that i developed on the idea of the calm space but to make it a bit more suitable for the museum and connecting it with the collection + children like to play i decided to create this interactive “quiz” idea
• The Sustainability aspect is also important to me. Therefore i would like to have materials in the space that are durable and don’t need to be replaced fast (also i would like to make somehow a connection to nature with the whole experience)

The position statement

4 Elements of a (brand) positioning statement are²:

• target audience
• category (common category of the market)
• differentiation from the competition
• payoff (benefits).

“Summary of your products or services and how they fill specific needs for your target audience”³

“Your […] strategy should ensure that your company’s values and personality shine through all” (mission, core values) ⁴

-> maybe create a user persona first?

-> customer pain points?

Example Apple:

“Apple provides innovative personal technology for individuals who want the best computers and mobile devices. With several product offerings and software platforms, Apple offers a seamless and connected experience that empowers people to easily access breakthrough technology that’s designed to leave the world better than how we found it.”⁵

-> Is a brand or company position statement different from this project’s statement?

My position statement

The Science Museum’s Quiet room offers a retreat for people with or without disabilities who are overwhelmed, tired or just want to relax for a moment. The Quiet Room provides space to sit, but also allows interaction with the Science Museum’s online collection in an immersive environment. This experience will hopefully spark curiosity to learn more about the collection and allow visitors to continue their journey through the museum space with all (refreshed) senses.

Webinar

In the webinar this week Teresa talked about going above and beyond trends. She mentioned 5 universal positions that transcend trends:

• Co-creation
  • involvement of audience (“empower”, “break down barriers”)
  • ex: V&A SIM project
  • engage with (sub-)groups across multiple mediums
  • “Power of a great story”

Teresa: “What do you want people to feel when they go out from the Science museum?”

I want them to be curious about the world. Find beauty in everything. Enjoy calm from time to time. Be less stressed if possible.

• leaving a positive legacy
  • include advice popup
  • ex: Rijks Museum (10 Things…, topics about disabilities, gender)
• Righting historical Wrongs
• Spontaneity & Escapism
  • unplanned, unscripted action (make the tiles in my project intentionally overlap with those of others and see what happens?) => more authentic
  • spontaneous doesn’t mean little control
  • ex: goldbug interactive.com (Game Design for a better world); Raising Spirits (online narrative puzzle); museo nacional del prado (botanical stroll); Tate museum (Archive journeys: 1. timeline, 2. bio, 3. itself, 4. art, 5. quiz); MET – NY (Artist orbituary scrapbooks, 3D tech -> print with 3D at home -> use model to create new art with it)
  • escape rooms, AR, video-games, VR

Learning Outcomes

-L04 – Distill -> investigation

-L05 – Imagine

-L08 – Design -> strategic journey;

Form & Function is linked to meaning (iconicity) => leaning into the own-able essence of the product => distinctive, unique meaning

Other Resource materials

 Dezeen (2018) Dezeen and Google’s Soft Futures talk live from Milan.

Li Edelkoort (“Archeologist of the Future”):

• Nowadays we want to be alone and together at the same time
• telepatic society: become more brain to brain
• intimacy -> more screens -> more tactility

Ivy Ross (Vice president for Hardware-Design at Google)

• she talked about a past project at google were they wanted to make sure that the designs reflect the idea of “always being human” => soft curves, color, in resonance with furniture at home
• “we don’t have to trade off function for beauty”
• having something familiar with something new .. is the best way for things to get “adopted”

Martin Raymond (also “Archeologist” of the future)

• “we become the machine”
• “the age of destruction” (touch, phone) => embedding technologies
• distraction as a way to open up, makes us creative
• “Frankenstein” vs. technology as something making life better
• “we will end up destroying ourselves by nostalgia” -> we need to look forward instead of back

1. https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/reports/2024/future-five-2025, https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/reports/2025/the-synthocene-era ↩︎
2. https://www.paddle.com/resources/brand-positioning-statement ↩︎
3. https://www.brafton.de/blog/inhaltsredaktion/brand-positioning-statement-examples/ ↩︎
4. https://www.brafton.de/blog/inhaltsredaktion/brand-positioning-statement-examples/ ↩︎
5. https://www.brafton.de/blog/inhaltsredaktion/brand-positioning-statement-examples/ ↩︎