Date: January 29, 2026

Summary: Fiction serves as a powerful tool for exploring possibilities, allowing us to rehearse the future and consider alternatives. This newsletter discusses the relationship between fiction, design, and strategy, highlighting the use of Design Fiction techniques to navigate uncertainty and complexity. It promotes an upcoming General Seminar session focused on Design Fiction as a strategic practice, where participants will learn to create tangible artifacts that help envision future scenarios. Additionally, it invites readers to join Office Hours for feedback and discussion on projects, fostering a supportive community for creative exchange. The newsletter emphasizes the importance of imagination as an early-warning system for possibility and encourages engagement with the community.

Essentially: Fiction is a strategic tool for exploring future possibilities; engage with Design Fiction techniques to navigate uncertainty and foster creativity.

But why? Organizations that leverage fiction as a strategic practice can better envision and prototype future scenarios, enhancing decision-making and fostering innovation in a rapidly changing world.

Newsletter Title

Strategy is a Practice of Future-Making

View/share online →

Fiction allows us to explore the possible, to rehearse the future, to consider alternatives. In short, fiction is a tool for thinking about what could be, what should be, and what might be.

This was my intuition around the relationship between fiction, design, and strategy when I first started exploring Design Fiction as a practice back in the early 2000s. Since then, I've had the opportunity to work with organizations of all kinds to help them use Design Fiction techniques to navigate uncertainty and complexity.

General Seminar is one of those platforms where I get to share these ideas and practices with a wider audience. It's a live, interactive experience where we explore the intersection of design, technology, and the future together.

There are a few seats left for next week's live General Seminar session on Design Fiction as Strategic Practice. If you're interested in how to use Design Fiction techniques to help your organization navigate uncertainty and complexity, this is a great opportunity to learn and engage.

Upcoming: Office Hours + General Seminar

Design Fiction as Strategic Practice

Next Wednesday at 10:00 (UTC-8) I'll be hosting General Semianr S06/E02 — a live session on using Design Fiction as a strategic practice to help organizations navigate uncertainty and complexity. We'll explore how to use Design Fiction techniques to
create tangible artifacts that help teams envision and prototype future scenarios, enabling better decision-making today.
In a world where the stories we are living within feel as though there may be no clear path forward, Design Fiction offers a way to step outside of the immediate pressures and explore alternative futures. By creating speculative
artifacts and narratives, we can challenge assumptions, spark creativity, and foster strategic thinking.
This is more than just a theoretical exercise. Fiction has always been a way to rehearse for what could be. From science fiction novels that have inspired technological innovation to speculative design projects that challenge societal norms, fiction
serves as a powerful tool for imagining and shaping the future.
During the seminar, we'll make it practical.
 I'll share with you my own particular approach — and then we'll get hands-on, translating real signals from today into tangible artifacts — things that help work through the implications of emerging technologies and societal shifts.
Get Your Ticket →

Office Hours N°295 Is Tomorrow!

Join me tomorrow Friday at 9:00 AM (UTC-8) for Office Hours N°295. It's a great opportunity to get feedback on your projects, discuss ideas, and connect with like-minded individuals in a supportive environment.
Last
week we had two awesome shares from Sunniva and Shreya — super awesome to hear the work that's going on in industry and academia. Looking forward to seeing what folks bring this week!
Each week, two members of the community present their projects, ideas, or challenges, and we discuss them together. It's a fantastic way to learn from others, get fresh
perspectives, and foster creativity.
Sign up to share here: https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/office-hours-signup
RSVP to attend here: https://luma.com/nearfuturelaboratory

Join the Near Future Laboratory Discord Patreon

Near Future Laboratory Patreon

Join the Discord, Support Office Hours, the Newsletter and More

The Near Future Laboratory is supported by its community and members. Join us on Patreon to support our work, get access to exclusive content, and be part of our vibrant Discord community where we discuss design, technology, creativity, the future and do projects and support each others' work.

I host weekly Office Hours for Patrons -- now for 289 weeks and running -- every Friday at 0900 (UTC-7 / California). It's a great way to connect, ask questions, and get feedback on your projects.

Each week two people from the community present a project, idea, or challenge and we discuss it together. It's a great way to get feedback, learn from others, and connect with like-minded people.

All of this is done in a friendly, supportive, and welcoming environment. We have people from all over the world, from all walks of life, and with all kinds of interests. It's a great way to meet new people, network, show what you can do, and learn from each other.

In this time of rapid change and uncertainty, it's more important than ever to have a community of people who can support you, challenge you, and help you grow. The Near Future Laboratory is that community.

Join →

Imagination is not a luxury. It’s an early-warning system for possibility.

Share this issue:

https://nearfuturelaboratory.com/newsletters/2026/mw05-y26

Forward via email →
Subscribe to the newsletter →
Schedule a consultation call →

This email template is a tuned up fork with a Markdown-JSON-Python-Maizzle based production workflow. It's a work-in-progress building on a refactor of the Dense Discovery newsletter's look and vibe, created by Kai Brach. I have been a paid ‘friend of Dense Discovery’ for, well..I'm not sure how many years now. It's a great newsletter and I would encourage you to subscribe and become a paid member.

Unsubscribe
Browse older issues
Icons by Icons8