A designer’s guide to building for an unpredictable future

As designers, we are tasked with creating products and experiences that not only meet the needs of today, but also anticipate the demands of tomorrow. But how do we design for a future that is always out of reach? To stay ahead of the curve, we don’t have to be able to predict the future, but we do have to embrace uncertainty and build an adaptability mindset.
When I first started my career as a designer, I thought I had a good understanding of what the future held and how to prepare for it. Master the right tools and techniques, and you’ll be able to create successful, sustainable designs for the future – or so I thought. But as the years passed and the industry continued to evolve at a rapid pace, I realized that my approach was flawed. There will always be factors outside of your control that can radically change your environment, allowing you to adapt quickly.
Throughout my career, I have faced many unexpected challenges that have taught me the importance of planning for change. For example, I once worked on a project where we were ready to launch a new product only to have a competitor release a similar offering just days before our planned debut. In another case, a change in government regulations unexpectedly prevented a planned acquisition. These experiences have shown me that although you can’t predict exactly what will change, you can predict that change is inevitable.
Over time, I have created a product framework that outlines three key strategies for planning and designing for future changes. By embracing uncertainty and focusing on adaptability, we can create designs that not only meet the needs of today, but also thrive in the challenges of tomorrow.
Prioritize goals over solutions
Ensuring the future of your designs isn’t about having a crystal ball. It’s about focusing on the core goals that define users’ needs. History is full of examples of companies that failed to adapt. Take, for example, the film photography giant Kodak and its reluctance to embrace digital photography. This was a company that dominated the industry for decades but became so busy focusing on film as a solution that it failed to recognize its customers’ primary goal of preserving memories, not the medium itself.
It’s a classic case of prioritizing the solution over the goal. Ultimately, people just wanted to capture and share their memories; The mediator was secondary. Don’t over-index on one specific solution. When the environment changes, you must question whether the solutions you have are still in line with your long-term goals, or whether they have become counterproductive.
Empowering users to build their own solutions
One way to avoid this trap is to put more power in the hands of users. By creating tools and platforms that allow people to customize and build on designs, designers can leverage users’ creativity and problem-solving skills. Companies like Notion, Webflow, and Airtable have thrived by giving users the building blocks to create their own solutions, making their products more adaptable to individual needs and fostering a sense of ownership among their user base.
In the case of Notion, rather than offering a strict, one-size-fits-all productivity app, it provides users with a toolkit of core elements, enabling them to create custom workflows tailored to their unique needs. On the one hand, you have people crafting simple to-do lists and personal wikis. On the other hand, entire organizations are building complex project management systems, customer relationship management (CRM) databases, and comprehensive knowledge bases.
By providing users with a flexible set of tools rather than prescribed solutions, Notion has fostered a vibrant community of creators who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the platform. This approach ensures that Notion remains relevant and valuable in the face of changing user needs; It also sparks innovation and brings to light new use cases that the company itself may never have envisioned.
Likewise, when designing Shape variablesand reusable values like colors, text, and numbers that can be leveraged across designs. Our team chose to take a flexible, user-driven approach rather than implementing a more rigid design code system. This decision enabled designers to develop custom solutions tailored to their unique needs, from switching themes to translating content. As a result, our users then went ahead and used variants in ways we never imagined, such as creating fully working versions of games like Flapping bird And Danger. By providing these atomic tools, even if the designers’ needs change, the system can adapt.
Reinventing the wheel in a changing landscape
In a rapidly evolving design environment, we must be willing to challenge established norms and reinvent the wheel when necessary. What worked yesterday may not work today, and what works today may not work tomorrow. This means stepping out of comfort zones, questioning the status quo, and being open to unconventional ideas, even if they seem a little “out there” at first.
In the gaming industry, Valve did just that when it started giving away its games for free in response to rampant piracy. The company instead focused on selling in-game cosmetics and allowing creators to make and sell their own. It was a bold move that turned the traditional business model on its head; Valve was called crazy at the time. This decision ultimately paved the way for new monetization models that have become standard practice today. Ten years ago, this approach would not have worked at all, but the environment has changed and the company has been able to adapt.
Embrace the future
Designers have an amazing opportunity to shape the future and push the boundaries of what is possible by embracing the uncertainty of change. In a world where change is the only constant, designing protection for the future requires a fundamental shift in mindset. By prioritizing goals over solutions, empowering users to build their own solutions, and embracing the need to reinvent the wheel, we can create designs that not only stand the test of time, but also thrive in the face of uncertainty. Ultimately, the most successful and enduring designs are not those that anticipate the future, but those that adapt to it.
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