Future Artifact - Radical Imagination with First-Year Design Students

This experience learning design was in partnership with Graziela Nivoloni, thank you so much for the invitation 🫀

I recently had the incredible opportunity to share the “Future Artifact” framework, a process of radical imagination, with first-year design students at the Istituto Europeo di Design in São Paulo (IED São Paulo), thanks to an invitation from Professor Grazi. Grazi teaches students across various design disciplines—graphic, digital, product, and fashion—and it was truly inspiring to witness these young creatives dive into the depths of imagination and speculative design.

This experience was also deeply enriched by the mentorship and guidance of Beatriz Alcantara, a brilliant facilitator, teacher, and researcher in design thinking. Beatriz helped me shape the hybrid nature of the session, pointing out crucial elements such as the interplay between digital tools and physical materials like pen and paper. Her insights guided the structure of the class, from encouraging students to sketch ideas on paper and upload photos to Miro, to crafting a seamless flow between analog and digital approaches. I am incredibly grateful for her expertise and dedication to fostering creative learning experiences.

The session began with a three-hour workshop aimed at sparking new perspectives. With around 40 students, all around 20 years old, we delved into the concept of “Future Artifact.” The approach invites students to choose a meaningful personal object and explore its emotional significance, history, and potential future transformations. Through this, they create artifacts that reflect personal and societal narratives—radical not in the sense of being extreme, but rooted in their own lives and in the research of the past.

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The framework

The “Future Artifact” framework is a methodology based on a process of radical imagination, where “radical” refers to roots or foundational aspects. This approach to designing future artifacts encourages looking into the past as a source of inspiration and tangible knowledge to inform the creation of future objects. The process consists of two main phases: understanding an existing artifact and imagining what it could become.

In the first phase, participants are asked to choose an object that holds sentimental value, something with a personal story or emotional resonance rather than just frequent use. For example, the facilitator’s object is an umbrella gifted by her mother, who is a meteorologist. Since adolescence, her mother has given her umbrellas, often accompanied by reminders to take care in the rain, which has created a deep emotional connection with this otherwise ordinary object.

Participants then proceed with a series of tasks to deepen their understanding of the object:

1. Emotional Narrative: First, they write about their sentimental connection to the object, evoking memories and emotions associated with it.
2. Objective Description: Next, they describe the object in a purely objective manner, detailing its materials, structure, and features. For instance, the umbrella is a manual type, with a plastic handle, aluminum ribs, and a nylon canopy decorated with bird and plant patterns.
3. Instruction Manual: After describing the object, participants draft a manual on how to use it. For example, detailing how to press the opening button, ensure the canopy is fully open, and check that the umbrella is ready for use.

The final part of this phase involves researching the object’s history. Participants gather stories and background information about the object’s origins, not necessarily relying on precise sources but rather as a means of sparking creative thought. For instance, umbrellas originally served as protection from the sun, and in ancient China, they were made with oiled paper to repel water. The historical journey continues to the present day, where umbrellas are used both for sun and rain protection, with some modern versions even incorporating solar panels.

This phase provides a foundation for understanding the object’s roots, setting the stage for imagining future transformations in the next part of the process.

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Building on the process of analyzing the emotional value, usage modes, and historical context of an object, the next step in the Future Artifact framework is to look at the gathered insights—personal, technical, and historical—as a repertoire for imaginative thinking. In this phase, participants identify and highlight keywords that resonate with them, words or concepts that spark curiosity or have significance. These keywords are then displayed, whether on paper, as sticky notes, or in a virtual space. The key here is to bring these ideas into consciousness and actively engage with them.

For example, in this case, keywords like women, oiled paper, and foldable structure emerged. These keywords open doors to various associations: the historical connection of umbrellas with women, the use of unique materials like oiled paper instead of modern nylon, and the concept of foldability, which has evolved over time. This stage encourages participants to trust their instincts, as there are no right or wrong ideas. It’s a process of exploration that celebrates diverse perspectives and group collaboration to enrich the creative possibilities.

The next step is to imagine speculative scenarios based on these keywords. For instance, the keyword women could inspire a scenario in an alternate history where, in the 5th century BCE, umbrellas became a symbol of power among warrior women like the Amazons. In this imagined dimension, these warrior women reigned, and the umbrella symbolized a political power structure centered around women—an alternate reality where the historical narrative took a different turn.

Another scenario might explore oiled paper, leading to a world where it never rains. In this world, items made of paper are ubiquitous, including origami-inspired furniture for outdoor spaces. Without the need for rain protection, paper becomes the primary design choice, and the entire environment reflects this aesthetic.

This phase is an opportunity to let the imagination expand, generating multiple speculative artifacts or ideas. Each scenario can inspire unique artifacts, whether a drone that holds an umbrella, a LED canopy that wraps around the body for protection, or a crown-like umbrella symbolizing political power.

Finally, participants choose one of these speculative ideas to develop further, creating a prototype and envisioning the context in which it exists. This prototype could represent a product, a new way of living, or even a service. The process remains open-ended and focuses on exploring the creative potential of each idea. The aim is to expand imagination freely at this stage before narrowing down to a final concept.

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Back to the class

I started with a presentation showcasing some of my own experimental projects, like CyBaby, a neural wearable, and CryptoNudes, a provocative exploration of machine learning and embodiment (you can check both in my website. Sharing these projects was a way to show how speculative design can intersect with technology and personal expression, and to encourage students to think beyond conventional boundaries.

After the talk, the students worked in pairs, diving into their selected objects. They began by reflecting on their personal connections to these items, documenting memories and emotions, and then moved to more practical explorations: analyzing materials, detailing usage instructions, and uncovering historical or cultural aspects. It was a hybrid process—part digital, part analog—with paper, pencils, and sticky notes bringing the ideas to life. Despite the limitations of time, two groups managed to present their early concepts, revealing glimpses of creative depth and playfulness.

The process wasn’t simply about envisioning futuristic designs but about understanding and expanding the potential of these objects to create artifacts that resonate deeply with personal and cultural meaning. This work aligns with the broader project they are exploring this semester, “Design Thinking,” which focuses on empathizing with clients’ needs and understanding their emotional connections to products.

This first session marked the beginning of their journey. Over the next month, they’ll develop their projects further, and I’ll be guiding them through two mentoring sessions before the final presentations. Seeing this new generation embrace and push the boundaries of imagination is both a privilege and a joy. Grazi’s invitation gave me the chance to witness firsthand how these young designers are beginning to craft their unique voices in design.

To me, the richness of this experience lay in the intersection of the students’ fresh perspectives with the framework of radical imagination. The future, as they envision it, isn’t just a linear extension of today but a reimagined space where past, present, and potential converge in artifacts that resonate with personal and cultural stories.

Below, I’ve included a Miro board of the entire process we developed during the workshop. It captures the flow from personal reflection to speculative design, a journey of exploring, expanding, and envisioning artifacts not as isolated products but as objects deeply tied to identity, history, and future possibility.