PROTOTYPING THE FUTURE- A Methodology for Participatory Experiential Future Making
Project by Falay Transition Design Collective members, with Savannah Vize and Zeynep Falay von Flittner.
Founder: Business Finland & self funded
Year: 2023-ongoing
BACKGROUND
As the urgency to address today’s “wicked challenges” grows, imagining what true systemic change—or a paradigm shift—might look like becomes increasingly difficult. At Falay, we have been exploring the question of how the future’s intangibility shapes our behavior and limits our capacity to act. As many futurists and scholars have pointed out, we often find it easier to imagine the collapse of civilization than a transformation of its systems—especially within decision-making spaces.
PROJECT
With this in mind, we turned to service design practices for inspiration—specifically, how services are prototyped to visualize and iterate experiences. We asked ourselves: What if we could do the same for the future? What if the transitions we speak of could be made physically tangible?
In November 2023, we began developing a methodology to prototype futures—not just as an abstract exercise, but as a way to bring imagined possibilities into form. What started as an open exploration gradually evolved through structured research: we studied existing experimental methods, engaged in conversations with fellow practitioners and experts, and held in-depth internal dialogues.
Through this process, we mapped different types of futures prototypes, ranging from tangible artefacts to immersive, systemic snapshots of future scenarios in action. These ideas were later refined into our Futures Prototype Menu, framed by Savannah Vize.
In autumn 2024, with support from Business Finland, we finalized a comprehensive set of blueprints for designing and delivering futures prototypes. This includes end-to-end workshop structures, tools for both in-person and digital engagement, participatory design processes, and supporting research materials
If you're interested in learning more about our futures prototyping approach—or want to explore a collaboration—feel free to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you.
