Designing the Future

Design fiction: the creation of tangible prototypes of the material cultural artifacts of possible near futures — Julian Bleecker, Near Future Laboratory

In this episode of the Gartner Futures Lab Podcast, host Marty Resnick sits down with Julian Bleeker, founder of Near Future Laboratory, to discuss the use of design fiction in communication and designing plausible future scenarios.

Design fiction is a powerful tool for exploring possible futures, whether the goal is to explore possibilities with new emerging technologies or understand scenarios and trends beyond technology. Design fiction allows stakeholders to envision the possibilities of potential scenarios early on and prepare organizational responses.

About the Guest:

Julian Bleecker is a researcher, designer and entrepreneur who authored the book, “The Manual of Design Fiction.” He is the originator of the concept of design fiction and has made significant contributions to the fields of design, technology and innovation. He is best known as the founder of Near Future Laboratory, a creative design and innovation research outfit that explores the intersection of emerging technologies, design, entrepreneurship and evolutionary innovation. Bleecker is also the founder of OMATA, a product design company that created the revolutionary OMATA One cycling computer. In addition to his work as an entrepreneur, Bleecker is also a researcher and academic, and he has published numerous articles and papers on design, technology and innovation.

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