For a major public news broadcaster in The Netherlands I helped design and facilitate multiple future scenario sessions regarding the future of news. Together with a team of talented researchers from our company’s think tank, varying from innovation strategy experts to philosophical masters — and of course a top team from the client side — we explored the answers and questions about how new technological developments influence the future of our media lanscape, and the news in special.
The whole project revolved around one main explorational question:
“How will current and future technological developments influence the news and the rest of the media landscape?”
Extreme Future Scenario Sessions
According to an in-house developed Extreme Future Scenario method (Freedomlab) we focussed on creating a spread of future scenario’s that might be going to happen in the near future. By methodically creating 3 very different future premisses (what if questions), based on different 3 shifts in both society and the technological world, we made sure there was enough variety in the explorations. The main design question we kept in mind exploring these scenario’s stated:
“How can we make sure that “Company Y” stays relevant,
if this scenario would play out?”
3 Future Scenario’s
During a 2 day session we explored the 3 different scenario’s and discussed as much implications from such a scenario as possible, and of course what “Company Y’s” role could be in such a future. The three main premises were:
Follow up strategy sessions
After exploring these scenario’s and its implications, multiple follow up strategy sessions were facilitated to reason back to today. During these strategy sessions new ideas were generated on company strategy level and on corresponding new services/products. Finally, the results of the project were presented to the board of “Company" Y”.