Blog, May 13, 2025, Eighth Week Honors Seminar Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann
“The future we want must be invented, otherwise we will get one that we don’t want.”
— Joseph Beuys
This quote opened our session and it set the tone for everything that followed. In this week’s Honors Seminar, we weren’t just asked to think about the future, we were invited to imagine it, shape it, and design it-with optimism at the center.
Led by Prof. Dr. Stephan Zimmermann, this session focused on how digital transformation and design thinking can be combined to create positive, tangible visions of the future. It wasn’t a lecture. It was an experience. And it left many of us thinking: What kind of future do we actually want?
From Technology Trends to Thoughtful Questions
We began by reflecting on current and emerging technologies-AI, cloud computing, big data, IoT, robotics, and more. These are shaping our world every day. But instead of looking at them in isolation, we zoomed out and asked:
What impact will these have on our lives in the long term?
And how can we use them in ways that serve people and the planet, not just progress?
This led us into the world of Design Futuring — a structured but creative method for building scenarios of possible futures, grounded in present trends and values. The focus? Not perfect futures, but optimistic, meaningful ones.
Step 1: Exploration
We split into small rotating groups and explored major megatrends like Health, Eco-Intelligence, and Knowledge Culture. At each table, we used the Future Triangle method to analyze:
- The push of the present (what’s happening now)
- The weight of history (what’s holding us back)
- The pull of the future (what we want to move toward)
These discussions were energetic and eye-opening. By looking at both challenges and aspirations, we started to see each topic in a new light. After two full rounds, the boards were filled with sticky notes, diagrams, and questions worth carrying forward.
Then, we zoomed in further. Each group picked one trend and used the Futures Wheel to map out its direct and indirect consequences. This helped us see how even a small change today can shape systems, behaviors, and society over time.
It wasn’t about predicting the future. It was about understanding that every idea has impact and when we focus on the positive, we can guide those impacts in hopeful directions.
Step 2: Building Future Visions (With a Hint of Utopia)
The next phase pushed us beyond discussion-into design.
With LEGO bricks in front of us, we were asked to build the future. But not just any future one that reflects our most optimistic visions. A future that’s not perfect, but purposeful. One that leans into possibility.
Using everything we had discussed so far, each group created a physical scenario of the year 2045. These models included ideas like smarter cities, connected healthcare, clean energy, inclusive education, and peaceful communities. Yes, there was a touch of utopia but that was the point. To think beyond limits, to imagine how good things could be if we use digital transformation wisely.
There was also a strong focus on environmental awareness, well-being, and social inclusion. We weren’t just building tech-heavy futures-we were designing futures with values.
The process itself was incredibly engaging. It gave us a way to visualize hope, to collaborate hands-on, and to see how shared ideas can come to life one brick at a time.
Step 3: Strategy (To Be Continued…)
As we wrapped up, Prof. Zimmermann introduced the final step of the Design Futuring process: Strategy.
We didn’t dive deep into it during this session, but it’s a critical next step turning ideas into actions, visions into plans. Strategy is about connecting today’s thinking to tomorrow’s doing. And that part, as our professor hinted, is up to us.
Ghufran’s Reflection:
Honestly, this session was just really fun. Like, not your typical seminar at all. We did so many cool activities with our team—it was super interactive. What I really loved was the idea that the future isn’t just something that happens to us… we can actually build it. And not just any future—a future where people are happy, where we care about sustainability, where tech actually helps us live better.
It made me realize that optimism isn’t just this vague feel-good word. It can actually be part of how we design and build things, even in tech. And as someone studying International Information Systems, it really hit me that this is kind of my job. It was eye-opening in a playful way. Definitely one of the most creative sessions we’ve had so far.
Hanxi’s Reflection:
This week’s session felt very much like an extension of last week’s discussion. Previously, we explored how high technology can, and in some cases already has, negatively impacted people’s lives. But is simply abandoning technology the right solution?This week’s discussion offered a different perspective. It suggested that, as designers and developers of technology, we have the power to shape how it is used — to build a better world rather than contribute to its problems. As a student studying Information Systems and a future participant in the IT industry, I’m inspired by the idea that I can play a role in designing technology that serves humanity in positive and meaningful ways.
Closing Thought
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
With heads full of ideas and hands full of LEGO bricks, we left the room with something rare: a sense that the future is not just coming at us but something we can help build.
Authors: Ghufran Saudagar & Hanxi Zhu
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