Radical Futures: What Could 2040 Really Look Like?

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0:37What happens when you gather some of the brightest minds shaping our future, from social researchers to design strategists, futurists, and technologists, and ask them where we're headed next? That's exactly what we did this season on Design Nerds Anonymous. And as we wrap season eight, we're looking back at the big questions and even bigger ideas that helped define it. From Sydney to Seattle, from data to design, our guests this season helped us explore the forces shaping a world we haven't fully built yet. You'll hear all of their voices again today, each one introducing themselves, then sharing one word to describe the future they see coming.

1:24What emerges are patterns that help us see where we're headed, a chorus of optimism, disruption, creativity, and change. So whether you're new to Design Nerds Anonymous or just catching up, this episode is your highlight reel, a spark to help you choose where to dive deeper into the conversations that everyone in our industry and beyond should be having right now. If one of these voices sparks something for you, feel free to go back and listen to the full episode. Each conversation dives deeper into the trends shaping our world and the people bold enough to reimagine it. Now, to close out season eight, we're taking you back to Chicago for our live from Neocon 2025 episode, where we started the season.

2:14We have a phenomenal panel today. We are recording live here from Neocon 2025. Without further ado, our first question for our panelists. Tell us your name, what you do, or your work in a sentence or two, and if you had to pick one word to describe the future you see coming, what would that be? So Kaylin, I'm going to start with you. Yay. I love being first. Hi everyone. My name is Kaylin Reed. I am an applied insights strategist and certified design futurist with Kimball International. My work is to connect the dots between data, the future, design, and products. And so when you connect those dots, you create a constellation of being able to really understand what products are necessary for future users, but also part of my work is just looking at the future of design, where the built environment is going.

3:02And so the one word that I have is emotional. And I picked that for several reasons. So right now, I think amidst all these conversations that I'm sure you're hearing your business leaders talk about with regard to AI, and a lot of those conversations have to do with efficiency, productivity, output, right? So these are the words that we're hearing. But I think that I'm seeing a counter trend emerge in this space around just the sacredness of being human. It's really illuminating the obvious vacuum that AI has. AI cannot touch the ability for humans to have emotions and have that contextual depth and storytelling and that richness of personal experience.

3:41I say emotional because there's so many things going on right now with regard to we're looking at sensory design and neuroaesthetics that are all underlining and underpinning the importance of the emotional state. Several years ago, what may have been viewed as a hindrance, your emotional state when you come to work, and it's really viewed as like a deterrence to your work. But essentially now we're really seeing that there's a shift happening with respect for your emotional state. There's respect to bringing your entire authentic self, not just to work, but in the places that we inhabit day in and day out.

4:14So my word is emotional. All right. Our first word is emotional. Cindy, you're up next. Thank you. Hey, everybody. I'm Cindy Kaufman. I am vice president of marketing for Mannington Commercial. And it's great to be here. That's a tough act to follow, though. Thanks a lot, Kaylin. Appreciate that. My word is human centric. I think I also sort of represent the older generation here on this panel. And the older I get, the more experiences I've accumulated, the places I've worked. I have not only been in our industry, I have been in the sports industry, live events, became an interior designer middle way through my career.

4:47and then pivoted to this industry. To me, what's really been interesting is to really understand the human element at the core of everything. And I talk about this a lot from all of my past experiences that experiential marketing, specifically because I am in marketing, but just delivering an experience that sort of includes thinking about the humanity and all of us that occupy these spaces and what we're going through, what everyone is experiencing, not just when they're interacting with your brand or your company or your space or your showroom, but how they're interacting with the people that are in that space and what human beings all bring to the forefront.

5:28It's really important. It's a lot of what you talked about, emotion. There's a lot of empathy involved. It's understanding the human-centric needs of all of us in these spaces. And I love that we're having conversations like this now because when I was in my 20s, you know, where Gen Z is now, we weren't having conversations like that. Nobody cared about my humanity. And that's really important now. And I love that this is part of the conversation. My word is human centric. I love it. To Ethan here. Yeah, to the resident Gen Z-er. So hi, everyone. My name is Ethan Barber. I'm a designer at IA Interior Architects.

6:04I've been there for a few years now. My background, not only my designer, I also run sustainability for IA Chicago office. I'm on their design for belonging group. I'm one to the founding members there, which is aimed around establishing best practices to make design more inclusive for everyday people. So how to best perfect our designs to make them more inclusive. And then I'm also on the DIFA board for Chicago, which is Design Industry Foundation's Fighting AIDS. A quick plug for them, they're a really amazing organization that's been benefiting our industry specifically for a very long time and the help for fighting HIV and AIDS.

6:38But moving on to my word, which is exingency, which I did put through Google Translate and make sure I got the definition absolutely correct for this. But exingency is similar to a boiling point. So it's thinking about a time or a period of time that requires quick and decisive action. I think this describes not only our current workforce, but also the geopolitics of our time with the introduction of AI, with the boiling point of sustainability. we're entering a period of time where not only in our businesses, in our day-to-day life as designers, but our leaders have to make very quick and decisive action that is going to affect us for generations to come.

7:15So both a nod to the sustainability and to the human-centric side of things. You know, we want to keep emotion and humans central to this.

7:27We're just getting started. A quick pause for this short break, and we'll be right back. You cannot separate the human experience from all of the lived experiences that take place inside spaces. You simply can't. When the planet thrives, we thrive. And when we're making informed and smart choices that are future-focused and human-centric, we're doing good things for humanity and for the planet. it. I love supporting the DNA podcast because it is literally right on the leading edge of understanding the future and being curious about where this industry is headed, but also where humanity is headed.

8:13That's a driving thought process for Mannington as well. Mannington Commercial is a curious organization. We seek to understand. This is Cindy Kaufman. I'm Vice president of marketing with Mannington Commercial, and we are a very proud sponsor of the DNA podcast. We would love to connect with you. And if you don't know who your rep is, we hope you'll come find that person on ManningtonCommercial.com.

8:42All right, let's get back into it.

8:52From urgency to opportunity, those themes echo across every conversation we had this season. And no one embodied that future-focused lens quite like our very first guest of season eight, Mark McCrindle. He's a social researcher, demographer, and futurist who literally named Gen Alpha. In episode one, Mark helped us to see how this younger generation in our midst is already redefining what it means to live, learn, and lead in the decades ahead. Here's Mark, introducing himself and sharing one word to describe the future he sees coming. Mark McCrindle, I'm a social researcher based here in Sydney, Australia, and we look at demographics, generational change and emerging trends to get a handle on the future.

9:43And one word to describe the future I see is exciting with this new generation emerging. You know, it's often been said that the artist sees the future before the politician and the philosopher sees it before the economist. And I think we can extend that and say Generation Alpha sees the future before the Gen Xer does because they're more intuitive in the changing times and the culture. We all live in the same time. We don't all have the same lens. And that's where I think this next generation really needs a seat at the table because they'll bring a different perspective, a 21st century one. We're living in the 21st century, but we were shaped in the 20th.

10:19And so we bring that structured thinking and that mindset. They are intuitive to these times. So let's have them have a seat at the table. And then I think together we can better see the future and design the future with them involved and an active part of it.

10:37If you found Mark's intro intriguing, you'll definitely want to go back and look for the episode titled, How Will Gen Alpha Shape the World We Haven't Built Yet? You won't want to miss his explanation of how this digital first generation is actually leading a return to human connection. Call it a corrective to the digital overload we're all feeling. And what that means for the spaces we design next. If Gen Alpha is redefining how we live, how will that transform how we learn and ultimately how we work? In episode two, we sat down with Tom VanderArk, author of Getting Smart and one of the world's leading voices on education innovation.

11:20Here's Tom. I'm Tom VanderArk. I'm the CEO of Getting Smart. We're an advocacy and advisory firm. We work in education, mostly K-12, but some higher education. We help people design new schools and transform existing systems. We do a little bit of public policy work, but our team cares a lot about the built environment, the learning environment, and we're excited to talk with you about that today. My one word, how I think about the future, is a word I'd borrow from Reid Hoffman, and that's possibility. I think we're on the cusp of a brand new age, one powered by AI that just opens up really extraordinary opportunities for work and learning and living and sharing a broader sense of prosperity with a lot more people around the world.

12:20I love the optimism. Some would share in your optimism for AI and creating possibility. Others would not. The other, if I had to choose another word, Amanda, would be paradox because I'm also terrified of the downside. There are a growing number of catastrophic, even existential risks. We're bound to have a dramatic increase in wealth and income inequality. There's lots of scary safety implications. personal and collective about AI. I'm extremely excited about the potential, and I'm also trying to be mindful of the downside. And I think one of the implications of this paradox is that education is going to be more important than ever.

13:13Now, if you found Tom's ideas compelling, you can go back and listen to his full episode titled What Does the Future of Learning Tell Us About the Future of Work? Throughout that episode, he reminds us that to reimagine work, we first have to reimagine how we learn, creating schools and workplaces that people actually want to show up to. And as learning moves beyond the classroom and into the real world, it's clear. The boundaries between education and work are starting to disappear. Those same shifts are transforming another space that we all rely on, healthcare spaces. In episode three, titled How Will AI Shape Healthcare?

13:55We explore new research about how care itself is breaking out of hospitals and clinics, expanding into our homes, our workplaces, and our daily routines. And of course, what that means for how we design for well-being. Here's Costanza Sessioni, medical affairs lead for Vietras in Italy. She'll introduce herself and again share one word to describe the future she sees coming. My name is Costanza Sessioni. If I had to pick a word to describe the future, but please consider that is my opinion and not a reflection implication of Vietras, will be reframed. Because the way we think about health, how we care for people, and how healthcare is organized need to be reframed, we thought, especially as new generations bring fresh perspectives and expectations.

14:52I work in Beatrice, a global healthcare company with the mission to empower people worldwide to live healthier. Another interesting point is about Gen Z. As you expect, social media is an important source of healthcare information for them. But what is really surprising is that they're more likely to trust healthcare information from the internet than from healthcare professionals, with 32 % relying on social media for health information versus 20 % for non-Gen Z generation.

15:27If Costanza's vision for the future of healthcare fascinated you, go back and listen to her full episode. She reveals one of the biggest paradoxes shaping medicine today, a digital trust divide. Younger generations are turning to social media for health advice, while older generations are still catching up to digital literacy. And in the middle of it all, the physical environment has the power to bring care back to something deeply human. She paints a picture of spaces that focus on proactive health rather than healing the sick, where architecture, empathy, and AI work together to reframe healthcare from curing to caring.

16:08That same reimagining is also transitioning to our workplaces.

16:17We'll be right back after this short break. We challenged the status quo. We went looking for new and inspiring ideas beyond our Pinterest feeds, connecting the dots between how a future was unfolding and how we should be designing for it. I'm Kaylin Reed, Applied Insight Strategist, Certified Futurist, and host of Alternative Design Podcast. We started Alternative Design as a beacon of hope for our industry at a time when the world was no longer business as usual. At Kimball International, the future isn't something that we wait for. We search for it, spotting the signals that reveal where the human experience is headed, both inside and far beyond the design industry.

17:01Alternative design is where those signals turn into ideas, where we connect what's happening in the world to what it means for the way that we design spaces and the furniture that shapes them. Because when we design with intention, we're not just making furniture, we're making a better future. If you're a fan of Design Nerds Anonymous, you will love alternative design. You can find us wherever you listen to podcasts, and make sure to subscribe to help us design what's next.

17:34Thanks for sticking with us. Now, let's return to the ideas shaping the future.

17:43In episode four, we sit down with Alexandra Levitt. She's a futurist, a successful author, and a longtime columnist for the New York Times, writing on the future of work. Here's Alexandra. If there is one word that I could use to describe the next five to ten years, I would say disruptive. But that doesn't necessarily have to mean bad. It can mean a challenge, for sure, but also an opportunity to transform ourselves in ways that we didn't think were possible and end up being more meaningful for us as humans. My name is Alexandra Leavitt, Alex for short. I am a business and workplace author, speaker, consultant, and futurist.

18:23And when I say futurist, I'm referring to someone who works with organizations to try to ascertain what has the greatest potential for disruption in the world of work in the next five to 10 years. Tell me a little bit about why you say disruptive. I say disruptive just because I think things are changing at a clip that was previously unheard of. So I'm a fan of comparing our current environment in which the workforce is transforming to the industrial revolution, which is also a time when the workforce and the workplace were transforming. But everything just happened a lot more slowly and people had more time to get used to it and to figure out what does this mean for me?

19:09And organizations were slower to roll out policy and procedure because they had time to figure out how these new technologies were going to be integrated. And everything is just moving a lot faster now. We're very much in reactive versus proactive mode. And so I feel that that is unfortunately a time when things can come up on us rather quickly. And then we have sometimes an issue with reacting in the most appropriate, efficient and also ethically sound way.

19:42If you found Alexandra's ideas thought-provoking, you can certainly go back and listen to her full episode titled Work Reimagined, Gen Z's Blueprint for the Future. She reminds us that designing the future isn't just about creativity. It could also be about measurement. We can't reimagine work if we don't first understand how people are actually using space. And that idea, designing with data, doesn't stop at the office door. Because the next generation isn't just reshaping how we work. They're redefining how we live. In episode five, we move even broader. We start talking about the future of life.

20:25From the spaces we design to the technologies we trust. We have two powerhouses helping us understand how Gen Alpha is shaping what's next. First up, Dani Mariano, the CEO of Razorfish, who leads a marketing transformation agency at the forefront of data, digital experience, and the evolving consumer journey. She's also the author of the upcoming book, The Alpha Revolution, exploring new research on how Gen Alpha is already rewiring the way we think about brand influence and expectations. So first, meet Dani. The one word I would say that describes the future for me is hopeful. I think this generation is going to be tremendous.

21:14I think they are growing up in a time that is really difficult for any other generation to understand because they're born with technology in their hands, but they also have a voice. I'm Annie Mariano. I'm the CEO of Razorfish. We are a marketing transformation agency, and we really focus on understanding people and how to bring technology and marketing together to meet the needs of consumers. The one group we are really fascinated about right now is Gen Alpha. So they are turning 13 this year. They are a generation we've never seen before. And we work with our clients like Allison to really help them see around the corner of what's coming next, especially right now in this fast-paced technology innovation cycle that we're in.

22:04Joining her on this episode is Alison Stransky, Chief Marketing Officer at Samsung Electronics America, where she leads not just the brand, but also the innovation that connects our devices, our homes, and our lives. With a background at Google, L 'Oreal, and Unilever, Allison brings a unique lens on how AI, wellness, and work are colliding, and what that means for the spaces that we live in. She offers sharp insight into what future consumers will expect from brands, and how those expectations may transform the homes, workplaces, and communities we design together. Meet Allison. I am Alison Stransky.

22:50I'm the CMO of Samsung Electronics America, and I am so excited to join you and Danny today to talk about Gen Alpha because we're thrilled to see what this next generation is going to do for all of us. For a little bit more on my role, my team has a really special seat within Samsung. We are the corporate marketing team, so we're responsible for the Samsung brand, but we also have the big data team, the citizenship team, the corporate communications team, and the Connected Experience Center within my org. And that is a team who is responsible for the future of how all of our devices are going to work together and how our vision of one Samsung better together and enhanced by AI is going to come to life.

23:34When I think about GenAlpha, the word that comes to mind is harmonized. I'm also really optimistic and excited because we really believe that technology, people, the planet, we're going to move into this place where we all work together so much more seamlessly that we believe in tech for good and tech that is going to make not just our consumers' lives better, but the whole world a better place.

24:02If that conversation left you curious, you can go back and listen to the full episode titled, What Kind of Homes Will Gen Alpha Want? Dani and Allison painted a picture of technology that disappears into daily life, adapting quietly, anticipating needs, and creating harmony between people and place. They even hinted at a new frontier where our homes, our health, and our wearables become one connected ecosystem. Let's just say what they reveal about the next wave of wearables might make you rethink what smart living really means. And as we look from the home to the hotel, that same seamless connection between technology, design, and emotion is redefining hospitality itself.

24:50In episode six, titled What's Next for Hotels and Hospitality Spaces, We explore how Marriott International is reimagining what it means to feel at home anywhere in the world. Joining us are two visionaries leading that charge at one of the most influential brands on the planet, a company that opens a new hotel roughly every 20 hours. First up, meet Alia Khan, VP of Global Design Strategy and Product Development, who oversees design direction for more than 30 Marriott brands. helping them to redefine what it means to create spaces that feel personal, flexible, and deeply human. My name is Alia Khan, and I lead design strategy for our full service through to mid-scale brands.