Teaching Requirement: Full class session and followup meetings with students to give design feedback

Prompt: Students will design and build devices that will help their future selves adapt to our changing world.

Purpose: Practice speculative design and prototyping with household items.

Part 1: Imagining our Future World

Fast forward hundreds of years into the future. The retirement age is now 120 years old and people are hustling more than ever. Imagine yourselves as one of the elderly citizens of the future where fitness, dexterity, and a full, active schedule is crucial for the work-life balance of an expanded life. 

As a group, we will brainstorm the types of careers that we think will be at the forefront of this future society. What will education, service industries, and corporate life look like? 

Then, we will list out the skills that would be needed to be successful in these careers.

Part 2: Make it personal

Imagine the common complications that come with an aging body. What might your future self find difficult among the skills that we brainstormed? List out the specific aspects of that task or skill that may be problematic for an elderly worker.

Part 3: Design

Using storyboard sketching and diagramming techniques, sketch out a design for a device that might help your future self adapt to the tasks required to remain in the workforce. Then, using household materials, prototype your design.