Are we truly designing for the future, or are we simply reacting to the present? My recent journey to Dubai Design Week opened my eyes to a powerful shift: designing not just for today's user, but for generations to come. Buckle up, because some of what I discovered challenges conventional design thinking.
My time in Dubai, split between co-facilitating a Design for Longevity (D4L): Unclock workshop, exploring the awe-inspiring Museum of the Future, and engaging with thought leaders at an education forum hosted by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI), revealed a profound truth: design has the power to redefine how we perceive aging, participation, and the very role of the designer. It's about creating a world where everyone, regardless of age, feels included and empowered. Let's dive into three key learnings about service and experience design that emerged from this vibrant city.
(1) Embodied Learning: Reimagining Longevity Through Photogrammetry
Professor Sofie Hodara and I had the privilege of leading a workshop where we introduced the Design for Longevity (D4L) Unclock Framework (Lee, 2025). To make things truly interactive, we incorporated Scaniverse, a user-friendly mobile photogrammetry app, allowing participants to experience the Dubai Design Week campus in a completely new way.
This three-hour session (13:00–16:00) wasn't just about theoretical concepts. It was about demonstrating how accessible tools, like photogrammetry, can serve as both powerful research methods and sources of design inspiration. We wanted to show that innovation doesn't always require complex technology.
Okay, so what exactly is photogrammetry? Simply put, it's the process of creating 3D models from multiple 2D photographs. Specialized software analyzes spatial information – depth, scale, positional relationships – to reconstruct physical objects or entire environments. Think of it as turning your smartphone into a 3D scanner!
When combined with traditional ethnographic and design research methods, like mind mapping (Buzan, 1974, 1993) and service blueprinting (Shostack, 1984), smartphone photogrammetry becomes a potent tool for documenting and understanding environments that impact longevity challenges. It's about seeing the world through a different lens – literally.
By systematically scanning a chosen site on the Dubai Design Week campus to generate a 3D model, design researchers engage in a “slow,” evidence-driven observational process. This approach encourages reflection on how longevity-related challenges manifest in everyday spaces, helping to pinpoint opportunities for design interventions. For example, participants scanned public seating areas, trash cans, and even EV charging stations, looking for ways these everyday objects could be improved for older adults.
While three hours might seem like a significant time commitment, the workshop's dynamic structure – a mix of mini-lectures, hands-on activities, and individual sharing – kept everyone engaged. We started with a 30-minute lecture to lay the groundwork: the conceptual foundations of D4L, longevity planning, and the urban exposome. We challenged participants to reframe aging, moving beyond chronological years to consider diverse life stages and trajectories.
Participants then had 30 minutes to unleash their inner photographers, scanning their surroundings with their smartphones and sharing their resulting 3D models. As Sofie pointed out, photogrammetry isn't a passive activity. It requires physical movement, aligning with the principles of bodystorming and embodied interaction. You are literally immersed in the environment you're trying to understand.
This physical involvement was crucial to the workshop's immersive and participatory nature. In this context, the process of scanning – looking closely, walking, circling, observing – was more important than the technical perfection of the final model. It's about the journey of discovery, not just the destination.
Reflecting on this experience, I realized my own motivations have evolved. I used to approach workshops primarily as a learner. Now, I see the profound value in co-creating peer learning environments. A workshop can be an experimental, generative space – abstract at times, but deeply inspirational – where knowledge emerges collectively through shared exploration. But here's where it gets controversial: Is the pursuit of perfect technical execution sometimes a barrier to true creative exploration? I'm curious to hear your thoughts in the comments.
(2) Curated Immersive Experience for Museum Exploration
Beyond the workshop, I had the opportunity to visit the Museum of the Future, a true architectural marvel that opened in February 2022. The building's oval form, resembling a human eye, symbolizes a shared vision for the future. Arabic calligraphy wraps both the exterior façade and interior surfaces, seamlessly blending Dubai's cultural heritage with its innovative spirit. It's a powerful statement about the city's identity.
Given the building's complex structural geometry, the exhibition team cleverly employed a “box within a box” spatial strategy. Each floor offers a distinct experiential world without compromising the integrity of the curved calligraphic envelope. Imagine creating completely different environments within the same, uniquely shaped container!
To avoid long queues, I opted for a fast-track pass. The wristband, serving as both ticket and access credential, immediately brought theme park experiences like Disneyland and Universal Studios to mind. And the museum experience itself lived up to that level of immersion. The wristband activates interactive stations, extending the narrative and inviting deeper engagement.
Throughout the museum, physical artifacts – staging consoles, seating installations, reflective surfaces – are seamlessly integrated with projection mapping, creating a multi-sensory environment. It's a masterful blend of the tangible and the digital.
One gallery, in particular, invites visitors to explore the five senses through “connection therapy.” Feeling therapy uses ultrasound-based haptic feedback to create a light breeze on your fingertips; grounding therapy focuses on sound; and movement therapy projects AI-generated visuals that respond to your gestures. It's an amazing example of how technology can be used to enhance our sensory experiences.
What truly elevated the experience, however, was the staff. In each gallery, they role-played as members of a spaceship crew, providing contextual cues and narrative framing. Their tone, script, and costuming significantly heightened the sense of presence and emotional engagement. It felt like stepping into a science fiction movie!
The first three stops were guided, striking a thoughtful balance between structure and personal discovery. Visitors were then encouraged to explore other exhibition themes at their own pace. Before leaving, I purchased Imagine Design Execute: Inside the Museum of the Future, a book offering insights into the museum's conceptual foundations. Its core aim is to foster a sense of shared imagination and community, extending the visitor experience beyond the exhibition floors and into broader conversations about the futures we collectively design. And this is the part most people miss: The museum isn't just about showcasing futuristic technology; it's about inspiring collective action to shape a better future for everyone.
(3) Cultivating Pi-shaped Designers in an Era of Cross-Disciplinary Practice
On my last day, while exploring the Dubai Design Week campus in the D3 district, I stumbled upon an education forum hosted by the Dubai Institute of Design and Innovation (DIDI). DIDI is a non-profit private institution dedicated to cultivating a new generation of designers who can shape the future socially, digitally, and creatively. Its curriculum, developed in collaboration with MIT and Parsons School of Design, encourages students to explore emerging possibilities at the intersection of design and technology. It's all about preparing students for a rapidly changing world.
I was particularly drawn to DIDI’s multidisciplinary Bachelor of Design program. Students customize their education by combining two concentrations from four domains: Product Design, Multimedia Design, Fashion Design, and Strategic Design Management. This allows for a truly personalized and well-rounded education.
A central ambition of DIDI is to cultivate “Pi-shaped” designers – individuals who develop depth in two complementary disciplines and can move fluidly across boundaries. In an era shaped by AI, computational design, and rapidly evolving knowledge systems, the ability to work across domains while continually learning has become crucial to contemporary design practice. Think of it as having a strong foundation in two areas, but also the ability to connect them and adapt to new challenges.
This aligns with four dimensions I outlined in my perspective paper published by Design Studies (2025), reframing design as:
- Immersive Experience – shifting from artifacts to situated experiences
- Evolving Computational Capability – redefining AI from artificial to anticipatory intelligence
- Relational Tension – balancing ego-driven authorship with empathy-driven action
- Expanding Field – integrating cross- and trans-disciplinary knowledge
These dimensions position designers as connectors, curators, and co-creators of meaning – not just makers of things, but stewards of shared futures.
Learning from Dubai: Design, Longevity, and Cross-Disciplinary Practice
Throughout the participatory workshop, the museum visit, and conversations with educators in Dubai, I gained deeper insights into Design for Longevity (D4L), which has become the central focus of my current research. D4L is not just a framework or methodology; it’s a practice of reorienting how we perceive time, interaction, and future possibilities – shaping a collective vision for navigating complex, multi-generational cultures, work environments, and societies. It's about creating a world that works for everyone, regardless of age.
The embodied photogrammetry exercise demonstrated how movement and close observation can reshape our understanding of aging and place, positioning longevity as something experienced through everyday encounters rather than measured solely in years. The Museum of the Future illustrated how environments can be intentionally choreographed to spark imagination, encouraging visitors to feel, speculate, and co-construct narratives about what lies ahead. Meanwhile, the discussion around cultivating Pi-shaped designers reinforced that contemporary design education must develop both depth and range. Designers require foundational craft and process skills, but also the adaptability to navigate across various scales, disciplines, and modes of collaboration – what Simon Sinek refers to as human skills.
Together, these experiences during Dubai Design Week highlight a shared imperative: to design educational, urban, and experiential environments that foster curiosity, empathy, and continuous learning. D4L is not only about planning for an aging society, but also about shaping conditions that allow people of all ages to feel connected, capable, and empowered to shape their own futures.
Dubai’s ambition and openness to experimentation provided a fertile ground to explore these ideas. The work ahead lies in translating these insights into design practices that support more inclusive, multigenerational, and imaginative urban futures.
So, what do you think? Are we, as designers, truly embracing cross-disciplinary collaboration and designing for a multi-generational future? Or are we still too focused on the present? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
