Last CallLast Call Pool

Design Stage

Crafting Utopia: The Stories and Designs That Shape Our World

September 18, 2025 2:45 PM

Power Talk

🇬🇧 English

Wisła

About

In a world where dystopian narratives dominate, we risk overlooking a fundamental truth: utopia is not only possible—it is the most likely outcome. My talk, Crafting Utopia: The Stories and Designs That Shape Our World, challenges the narrative of decline and explores how bold ideas, compelling stories, and tangible prototypes have shaped our reality throughout history. From science fiction to technological breakthroughs, I’ll reveal how the futures we once imagined became the world we now live in—and how the visions we create today will define tomorrow. As a designer, historian, and futurist, I will share practical insights into how storytelling and speculative thinking align diverse perspectives, foster innovation, and accelerate progress. This talk will inspire attendees to see beyond fear-driven narratives and recognize their own role in shaping a better, more inclusive future—one that isn’t just a dream, but an inevitability waiting to be built.

‍

Talk by

Photo of Hanna Norlin, Designer and Futurist at Hyperscapes

Designer and Futurist at Hyperscapes

Watch the full talk

Watch this WaysConf session, then continue with related talks or explore the current programme.

Explore the 2026 agenda More WaysConf recordings

From the recording

Talk in brief

Hanna Norlin, a product designer and futurist, argues that humanity's collective ability to envision better futures has been eroded by a modern narrative saturated with negativity and dystopian fiction. By studying history, we can see that many elements of our everyday lives—such as clean water, electricity, global computer networks, and the weekend—were once dismissed as impossible, utopian fantasies. Norlin explains that the human brain uses the same neural pathways to imagine the future as it does to remember the past, meaning that vivid visualization creates a "memory of the future" that actively guides behavior. Designers possess a unique responsibility and capability to combat societal pessimism by using speculative design and design fiction to prototype desirable futures. By presenting these optimistic scenarios as tangible and within reach, designers can foster "urgent optimism" and build the collective belief necessary to materialize the next wave of human progress.

Key takeaways

01
The Power of Mental Simulation
Imagining the future activates the same brain regions as remembering the past, creating a "memory of the future" that guides our actual behavior.
Watch from 8:54
02
Utopia as a Historical Reality
Many standard aspects of modern life, such as sewage systems, electricity, and the weekend, were once dismissed as witchcraft or impossible fantasies.
Watch from 20:02
03
The Impact of Shared Beliefs
When entire societies or groups share a collective imagination, they gain the power to overthrow tyrants, change deep-seated norms, and fund massive endeavors like space travel.
Watch from 10:29
04
Designers as Future Builders
Designers do not merely react to existing user needs; they actively shape human desires, behaviors, and beliefs by making non-existent concepts feel realistic.
Watch from 22:05
05
Human Laws are Malleable
Unlike the immutable laws of physics, human systems, policies, and financial structures were invented by humans and can be actively redesigned.
Watch from 27:17

Video chapters

0:06Introduction to Design and Futurism
Hanna Norlin introduces her background as a product designer and explains how she spends her time as a futurist using speculative design.
2:29The Importance of History
Norlin discusses how studying history provides the only real clues to the future and allows us to reshape how we view humanity.
8:54How Imagination Programs the Brain
An exploration of the neurological connection between memory and imagination, showing how mental simulation guides decision-making.
15:46The Shift to Dystopian Narratives
Norlin analyzes why modern media, politics, and fiction have shifted from mid-20th-century optimism to a paralyzing focus on crisis and fear.
19:01Living in Someone Else's Dream
A look at historical milestones like clean water, flight, and the weekend that were once considered utopian but are now taken for granted.
22:05The Designer's Role in Creating Belief
How design tools like prototypes and pitch decks build urgent optimism and make speculative futures feel achievable.
24:22Speculative Design and Historical Myths
An examination of speculative design methods and how medieval myths of abundance paved the way for modern kitchen appliances.

Read edited transcript highlights

These concise notes were edited from automatic captions and checked against the talk structure. They are not a verbatim transcript.

The Neurological Time Machine

When we visualize the future, our brains light up in the exact same regions used for recalling past memories. Because the brain struggles to differentiate between a vivid fantasy and a real memory, mentally simulating a scenario creates a psychological anchor. This "memory of the future" helps regulate our emotions, guides our decision-making, and makes the imagined outcome feel inevitable, effectively acting as a mental time machine.

Watch from 8:54

The Erosion of Collective Optimism

In contrast to the bright, progress-driven visions of the mid-20th century, today's societal narrative is dominated by negativity. Political messaging has shifted from vision-driven goals to crisis management, while media business models exploit fear and polarization for clicks. This constant exposure to dystopian fiction and sensationalized news programs our brains to expect disaster, causing us to freeze and protect what we have rather than working toward collective progress.

Watch from 15:46

Our Forgotten Utopian Reality

Humanity has a long history of achieving its utopian dreams, but we quickly forget how revolutionary those achievements once were. Everyday systems like indoor plumbing, electricity, global computer networks, and even the concept of the weekend were once dismissed as madness or witchcraft. Because these ideas took time to materialize, we now take them for granted, failing to realize that we are currently living inside the wild dreams of our ancestors.

Watch from 19:01

Designing for Urgent Optimism

Design is a unique profession because it uses imagination as both its primary method and its final output. Through prototypes, pitch decks, and workshops, designers convince teams and stakeholders that a non-existent concept will become reality. This process builds "urgent optimism"—a psychological state that combines a strong desire to act with the firm belief that success is achievable, shifting the designer's role from reactive problem-solving to proactive future-shaping.

Watch from 22:05

Speculative Design in History

Speculative design is not a modern invention; historical myths and literature have long functioned to shape human desires. For example, medieval European myths about roasted birds flying directly into people's mouths served as early speculative concepts that eventually materialized as microwave ovens and on-demand food delivery. Similarly, Thomas More's 1516 book Utopia imagined a six-hour workday at a time when laborers worked up to twelve hours a day, demonstrating how writing about the impossible sets the trajectory for future norms.

Watch from 25:52

Redesigning Human Systems

People often feel powerless to change society because they view laws, financial systems, and policies as unchangeable facts of life. However, unlike the laws of physics, all human systems were invented by humans and are fully meant to be questioned, modernized, and improved. The primary obstacle to making the world better is not a lack of capability, but an inability to collectively imagine a superior alternative, making future-focused design a highly strategic challenge.

Watch from 27:17

Explore WaysConf 2026

View the agenda

Get tickets