Designing Products of the Future By Cecilia Tham

Learn to research and design dynamic and problem-solving products for a better future
“Never in the history of humanity has the world changed as quickly as it is changing now.”

In the digital age, technology is constantly shifting and evolving faster than we can process. Cecilia Tham argues that it’s in our hands to take back control of what’s to come. Cecilia is a future-driven entrepreneur whose purpose is to create scalable, impact-focused innovations. In this course, she unravels the concept of “future synthesis,” which is designing solutions for a better future.

Travel to the future and design the look and function of a problem-solving product. Think beyond the present and invent an artifact that is dynamic and meaningful. In her multidisciplinary approach combining research, design and strategy, you will garner the tools to navigate through innovative product development.

Begin by getting to know Cecilia. With a biology degree from Emory University, and a master’s in architecture from Harvard, she has founded multiple companies like Futurity Studio, Makers of Barcelona, and her latest, All Women Tech. She shares her diverse influences and inspirations that drive her to create.

Lay out the framework for what you are going to develop. Identify a problem, explore the opportunity space, and gather the preliminary information on the topic. Explore the different layers to create a resilient and impactful product. Design your infrastructure and validate its autonomy.

The next step is forecasting, which means identifying trends, risks, opportunities and drivers. Understand what there is to know about the viability of your product. Position your item in a desirable and undesirable future to develop a strategy for potential problems.

Broaden the horizon of your product. Ask yourself where your creation will sit in the next decades. Identify your audience, their consumer behavior, and develop a hypothesis on connecting the dots. Paint the future vision of your artifact and envision its possibilities.

Learn about speculative design, and how it can redefine the way we look at product development. Cecilia dives into polarity thinking when devising your strategy. Learn to push boundaries when it comes to innovative product design.

The last step after finalizing your design is to work at making it a reality. Create a roadmap for your invention, and apply the metrics to evaluate the direction to take your creation.

What is this course’s project?
Design an innovative product from start to finish, using a dossier and projection map to showcase it.