READING + TOOLS

HOW TO FUTURE WORKSHEETS

Changeist developed this set of simple worksheets to help you think through different stages of the futuring process. They are in A4 size, but you might consider enlarging them if working with larger teams or groups. You can also modify them or develop your own variations, as we continue to do for different needs. Please don’t forget to share any examples with us, and direct any questions to us here. Happy futuring!

• Capturing and Refining Trends Canvas — PDF

• Impact Wheel Canvas — PDF

• Scenario Sketch Canvas — PDF

• Scenario Readiness Canvas — PDF

HOW TO FUTURE CARDS

In collaboration with Artefact Cards, we’ve produced a set of cards for workshops, team or solo use. Build your own inventory of trends to map, share and explore. Find out more and buy here.

FURTHER READING

As this book is intended to introduce a specific field of concepts, and do so succinctly, we’ve provided this list of additional resources for those readers who wish to dig more deeply into specific topics, ideas, and issues. it will be updated from time to time as we encounter new readings of interest. You can contact us to suggest additional readings, or share your thoughts. 

On futures, foresight and framing explorations

• Acunzo, J. “What Creative Visionaries Do That Most People Overlook.” Adobe 99U, 19 Apr. 2019, https://99u.adobe.com/articles/63253/what-creative-visionaries-do-that-most-people-overlook.

• Bland, J. and Westlake, S. (2013), “Don’t Stop Thinking About Tomorrow: A modest defence of futurology”, Nesta, 30 October, available at: https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/dont-stop-thinking-about-tomorrow-a-modest-defence-of-futurology/.

• Epstein, D. “The Peculiar Blindness of Experts.” The Atlantic, 7 May 2019, https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/06/how-to-predict-the-future/588040/.

• “Scoping,” European Foresight Platform, http://www.foresight-platform.eu/community/forlearn/how-to-do-foresight/process/outcomes/. 

• Hines, A. (Ed.). (2006), Thinking about the Future: Guidelines for Strategic Foresight, Social Technologies, Washington, DC.

• Jain, A. “Can speculative evidence inform decision making today?” (2017), Superflux, 31 May, available at: https://superflux.in/index.php/speculative-evidence-inform-decision-making/. 

• Pembroke, B, and Saltmarsh, E. “How Art and Culture Can Help Us Rethink Time.” BBC Future.

• Schultz, W. (2012). The history of futures studies. In A. Curry (Ed.), The Future of Futures. Association of Professional Futurists (APF). https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Bn-eBPZZX7Ty1fS3JsMTFqbjQ/view

• Smith, S. (2015), “Interview with Adaptive Lab on Foresight”, Changeist, 21 October, available at: https://www.changeist.com/changelog/2015/10/21/interview-adaptive 

• Wilkinson, A. “Strategic Foresight Primer.” 21 Nov. 2017, https://ec.europa.eu/epsc/publications/other-publications/strategic-foresight-primer_en.
  
  

On sensing, scanning and researching futures

• Carney, J. (2018), “The Ten Commandments of Horizon Scanning”, Futures, Foresight and Horizon Scanning, 8 March, available at: https://foresightprojects.blog.gov.uk/author/dr-john-carney/.

• Hofstetter, D. (2019), “The Tyranny of Categorization”, Medium, 30 November, available at: https://medium.com/@hofstetter.dominic/the-tyranny-of-categorization-8ae57dd3a0fe .

• Jain, A. (2017), “Can speculative evidence inform decision making?”, Medium, 28 June, available at: https://medium.com/superfluxstudio/can-speculative-evidence-inform-decision-making-6f7d398d201f.

• Nova, N, “Nicolas Nova: Scanning for signals”. (2011), 5 October, available at: https://portigal.com/nicolas-nova-scanning-for-signals/.

• Pickard, J. (2012), “A gonzo futurist manifesto”, available at: http://justinpickard.net/gonzo-futurist-manifesto.pdf.

• Polak, F. (1961). The image of the future; enlightening the past, orientating the present, forecasting the future. New York: Oceana Publications.

• Sandford, R. (2016), “Horizon scanning: helping policy makers in an uncertain world - Civil Service Quarterly”, Civil Service Quarterly, 25 January, available at: https://quarterly.blog.gov.uk/2016/01/25/horizon-scanning-helping-policy-makers-in-an-uncertain-world/.

• Smith, S. (2011), “Notes to young foresighters”, Changeist, 6 October, available at: https://www.changeist.com/changelog/2011/10/6/notes-to-young-foresighters.html.

• Walker, R. (2015), “How to pay attention”, Medium, 27 February, available at: https://medium.com/re-form/how-to-pay-attention-4751adb53cb6.

On sensemaking, mapping and analyzing futures

• Brand, S. (2017), “Pace Layering: How Complex Systems Learn and Keep Learning”, available at: https://doi.org/10.21428/7f2e5f08.

• Curry, A. (2017), “Alvin Toffler’s models of change”, Medium, 11 August, available at: https://medium.com/@nextwavefutures/alvin-tofflers-models-of-change-2869a3923517.

• Curry, A. and Hodgson, A. (2008), “Seeing in Multiple Horizons: Connecting Futures to Strategy”, Journal of Futures Studies, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 1–20.

• Foster, N. (2013), “The geometry of possibility”, Near Future Laboratory, 25 February, available at: http://blog.nearfuturelaboratory.com/2013/02/25/the-geometry-of-possibility/.

• Meadows, D.H. and Wright, D. (2008), Thinking in Systems: A Primer, Chelsea Green Pub, White River Junction, Vt.

• Smith, S. (2017), “Lossy Futures”, Medium, 23 March, available at: https://medium.com/phase-change/lossy-futures-285e310bbf21 

• Sterling, B. (2004) The Singularity: Your Future as a Black Hole. Long Now. 11 June. Available from: http://longnow.org/seminars/02004/jun/11/the-singularity-your-future-as-a-black-hole/

• Voros, J. (2017), “The Futures Cone, use and history”, The Voroscope, 24 February, available at: https://thevoroscope.com/2017/02/24/the-futures-cone-use-and-history/.

• Wahl, D.C. (2018), “The Three Horizons of innovation and culture change”, Medium, 1 January, available at: https://medium.com/@designforsustainability/the-three-horizons-of-innovation-and-culture-change-d9681b0e0b0f.

On scenarios and telling stories about possible futures

• Cascio, J. (2010), “Futures Thinking: Writing Scenarios”, Fast Company, 24 February, available at: https://www.fastcompany.com/1560416/futures-thinking-writing-scenarios 

• Cascio, J (2012) “Ten Rules for Creating Awful Scenarios”, Open the Future, 15 August 2012, http://www.openthefuture.com/2012/08/ten_rules_for_creating_awful_s.html

• Godet, M. (2001), Creating Futures: Scenario Planning as a Strategic Management Tool, Economica, London.

• Galloway, A. (2014), “Three Uncertain Thoughts, Or, Everything I Know I Learned from Ursula Le Guin.”, Design + Ethnography + Futures, 18 November, available at: http://d-e-futures.com/events/uncertainty-symposium/anne-galloway/.

• Galloway, A. (2013), “Towards Fantastic Ethnography and Speculative Design”, Ethnography Matters, 17 September, available at: http://ethnographymatters.net/blog/2013/09/17/towards-fantastic-ethnography-and-speculative-design/.

• Kahn, H. and Weiner, A. (1967). “The Use of Scenarios,” available at: http://www.hudson.org/research/2214-the-use-of-scenarios.

• Maly, T. (2016), “Middle Managing the Future”, Curious Cargo, 12 October, available at: http://tinyletter.com/the-cabinet/letters/curious-cargo-6-middle-managing-the-future.

• Ramírez, R. and Wilkinson, A. (2018), Strategic Reframing: The Oxford Scenario Planning Approach. https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198745693.001.0001/acprof-9780198745693.

• Schultz, W. (2015). Manoa: The future is not binary. APF Compass. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/275338406_Manoa_The_future_is_not_binary.

• Schultz, W. & Crews, C. & Lum, R. (2012). Scenarios: A Hero's Journey Across Turbulent Systems. Journal of Futures Studies. 17. 129-140. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270684901_Scenarios_A_Hero's_Journey_Across_Turbulent_Systems. 

• Smith, S. (2017), “Lossy Futures”, Medium, 23 March, available at: https://medium.com/phase-change/lossy-futures-285e310bbf21

• Voss, G., Steinmuller, E. and Bassett, C. (2013), “Better Made Up: The Mutual Influence of Science Fiction and Innovation”, Nesta, March, available at: https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/better-made-up-the-mutual-influence-of-science-fiction-and-innovation/

  
  

On designing, prototyping and engaging others with futures

• Bleecker, J. (2009), Design Fiction: A Short Essay on Design, Science, Fact and Fiction, Near Future Laboratory, available at: https://shop.nearfuturelaboratory.com/products/design-fiction-a-short-essay-on-design-science-fact-and-fiction.

• Candy, S. and University of Hawaii at Manoa. (2010), The Futures of Everyday Life: Politics and the Design of Experiential Scenarios. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/305280378_The_Futures_of_Everyday_Life_Politics_and_the_Design_of_Experiential_Scenarios. 

• Candy, S. & Potter, C. & Abdulla, D. & Ansari, A. & Antonelli, P. & Auer, T. & Auger, J. & Baerten, N. & Borland, R. & Boykett, T. & Burdick, A. & Canli, E. & Chen, K. & Delgado, D. & Draudt, A. & Dunagan, J. & Fry, T. & Gaffney, N. & Hadley, J.J. & Zaidi, L. (2019). Design and Futures. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338129083_Design_and_Futures. 

• Dunne, A. and Raby, F. (2013), Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming, The MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts ; London.

• Forlano, L. (2013), “Ethnographies from the Future: What can ethnographers learn from science fiction and speculative design?”, Ethnography Matters, 26 September, available at: http://ethnographymatters.net/blog/2013/09/26/ethnographies-from-the-future-what-can-ethnographers-learn-from-science-fiction-and-speculative-design.

• Foster, N. (2013), “The Future Mundane”, October, available at: https://www.core77.com/posts/25678/the-future-mundane-25678.

• Girardin, F. “The Design of Future Visions for Large Organizations.” Medium, 14 May 2018, https://medium.com/design-fictions/designing-visions-for-busy-organizations-e6cd4f5cb294.

• Hanna, J. (2019), “An overview of contemporary speculative practice”, 21 July, available at: http://speculativeedu.eu/an-overview-of-contemporary-speculative-practice/.

• Johnson, B.D. (2011), Science Fiction Prototyping: Designing the Future with Science Fiction, Morgan & Claypool, San Rafael, Calif.

• Miller, B. (2019), “Co-design in policy: learning by ‘doing’ - Policy Lab”, 11 January, available at: https://openpolicy.blog.gov.uk/2019/01/11/co-design-in-policy-learning-by-doing.

• Raven, P.G. and Elahi, S. (n.d.). “The New Narrative: Applying narratology to the shaping of futures outputs”, Futures, Vol. 74, pp. 49–61. https://www.academia.edu/29211013/The_New_Narrative_Applying_narratology_to_the_shaping_of_futures_outputs. 

• Sterling, B. Shaping Things. MIT Press, 2005.

  
  

On assessing effectiveness

• Grim, T. (2009). “Foresight Maturity Model (FMM): Achieving Best Practices in the Foresight Field.” Journal of Futures Studies. 13. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237287384_Foresight_Maturity_Model_FMM_Achieving_Best_Practices_in_the_Foresight_Field

• Hines, A, et al. “Building Foresight Capacity: Toward a Foresight Competency Model.” World Futures Review, vol. 9, no. 3, Sept. 2017, pp. 123–41. SAGE Journals, doi:10.1177/1946756717715637. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1946756717715637
  

On uncertainty, innovation, strategic design and futures

• FoAM. (2019), “Innovation: Taking Risks or Making Risks?”, Medium, 12 April, available at: https://medium.com/@foam/innovation-taking-risks-or-making-risks-3a9d13b1401a.

• Hill, D. (2019), “‘Change the Model’: an interview about drip-feeding culture change via strategic design”, Medium, 16 November, available at: https://medium.com/dark-matter-and-trojan-horses/change-the-model-an-interview-about-drip-feeding-culture-change-via-strategic-design-305e5b433faa.

• Krishnan, A. (2019), “Futures, Power and Privilege”, Medium, 22 June, available at: https://medium.com/@akrishnan23/futures-power-and-privilege-14fa9096bf6.

• Kumar, S. (2019), “How to foster an appetite for risk by using ambiguity as a resource.”, Medium, 1 February, available at: https://medium.com/@shilpikumar/how-to-foster-an-appetite-for-risk-by-using-ambiguity-as-a-resource-16445ae84032.

To suggest new resources, contact us here.