Translation by Tomi Leivo.
Design is not usually brought up as a theme for foresight. Design is dismissed as a superficial phenomenon related to fashion, without any relevance in societal foresight. At the same time, companies embracing the value of design utilise their knowledge of design and fashion in their foresight work. Design is seen as a tool for expressing changes that are not seen in traditional market research, at least not in quantitative studies. Therefore, the information acquired through designers’ insights has strategic significance.
Naturally, it is apparent that companies operating in the product manufacturing business have to take a stronger interest in design and fashion than, for example, public administration. Through their output, companies affect how consumers develop their preferences and how they make their choices. Increasingly shorter cycles in fashion challenge the companies to look out for weak signals instead of statistical data. In addition to gathering information, companies change the markets by actively shaping the future themselves.
Should the participants of the National Foresight Network monitor changes in consumption? Having some governmental department list consumer trends feels a cumbersome idea. This government control should not happen. Instead, they should receive overviews to the changes in citizen consumerism. I believe that many people involved in foresight follow these signals at least from the mainstream media, if not for a specific purpose, at least for their own curiosity. Could these weak signals have a stronger role in national foresight?
The role of weak signals is challenging because, by definition, they are weak. It is impossible to tell what will come out of them. Quite possibly, nothing will come out of them. Therefore, they are a weak foundation for such decision-making that avoids taking risks. Strong investments and policies cannot be based on intuition. Some of the weak signals that the designers acknowledge are so deeply in the domain of design that they do not have a societal dimension. In addition, anything that catches the designer’s eye could be presented as a weak signal.
Weak signals may be especially important when defining the new directions after the current economical crisis. It may be worthwhile to examine new topics that do not at first appear to be related to macro economy, management models or global power balance. The factors driving the change in everyday life could carry the seed for change in the entire system.
Lisää samasta aiheesta
- Kriittisen innostumisen kyky
- Summary of May 2010
- Näkökulmia Kambodžan tulevaisuuteen
- Luovan talouden ennakointi ja design-ajattelu: Miten etenemme kohti Warhol-klusterin läpilyöntiä Suomessa?
- Kesä 2009: Muotoilu ja ennakointi
