Check out these fascinating highlights from the “Emergence Future 2021” report by IDEO (a multi-disciplinary company of designers, researchers & scientists). This fascinating 100+ page report outlines the changes to the design of everyday things that affect our lives due to the pandemic.
- Having more space doesn’t mean it makes it ideal.
The way we use the space around us for both personal and professional purposes has changed. This is because we are more aware of our safety and probably want to avoid crowded spaces. However, we also expect the space around us to suit both our personal and professional lives. As a result, we demand that our space do more than one thing for us.
How are you making multiple uses of your personal space?
2. The pandemic has made us more agile, resilient and competitive.
COVID has made us forget about the long term. Instead, we have adapted to think about the immediate future, and focus more on the now. This attention and focus to the now have impacted many different industries. For instance, there is an increased demand for more dynamic pricing and offerings that reflect supply and demand in real-time. This change in focus isn’t only affecting businesses; it’s also impacting any large-scale event planned far in advance.
How surge pricing became the restaurant world’s scariest — and possibly smartest — new idea.
3. Virtual participation
Do you remember how life used to be before Zoom and Teams? I have spent more time online with people than in person over these past two years. I remember we used to have the option to either meet in person or sometimes online through a webinar or an online call. Meeting people online used to be the second option. However this doesn’t exist anymore because it’s considered to be the same as meeting people in person.
4. Living more locally
As more of us shift to remote working, we’ve rediscovered the joys of staying home with family and being by ourselves. Those of us who are not a fan of crowds have moved out of cities to manage a better lifestyle. This is something I can relate to. What I once thought was a lovely place to live near Melbourne CBD is now a ghost town and has forced us to rethink where we would like to live next year.
As a result, the trend towards density and urbanisation will slow and begin to reverse as the value and benefit of local communities become more appealing.
5. Gender roles reset
In Japan, for example, long work hours kept family life secondary. This model breaks down as families discovered the value of spending more time together. As domestic responsibilities gradually redistribute to be more equal, opportunities emerged for men to take care of the home and family. It’s hard to believe we needed COVID to help force this shift! Equality at home translates to greater equality overall. I’m ecstatic to hear this change has happened, it’s about time society started to prioritise family and private lives.
This was a refreshing read, and I enjoyed seeing the perspective into some of the positive changes COVID has had on our lives. I feel it has awoken something in all of us and has brought us back down to reality.
