The Futures Archive

On the final episode of season 2 of The Futures Archive, Rachel Lehrer and Lee Moreau explore pleasure with a conversation about the vibrator and women's control over their bodies. With additional insights from Lynn Comella, Ti Chang, Jenny Winfield, and Mireille Miller-Young.

How many microphones are in the room you are in? Did you count the ones in your earbuds? On your phone? Your smart device? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Liz Danzico discuss the microphone as an embedded technology, and the power it commands from center stage to tucked away in a drawer. With additional insights from Susan Schmidt Horning, Jonathan Sterne, and Meryl Alper.

The automatic door is a part of most peoples everyday lives, and certainly considered a convenience. But when you walk up to one does it feel magical? Futuristic? Frustrating? On this episode of The Futures Archive, Lee Moreau and Sloan Leo discuss the automatic door, and how we can design thresholds of all kinds to be inviting to all people. With additional insights from Laurent Stalder, Bess Williamson, Wendy Ju, and David Gissen.

How does the act of care get designed into our everyday lives—beyond medical procedures and technology, into our relationships, our schedules, our lives? On this episode of The Futures Archive, Lee Moreau and Sara Hendren consider the insulin pump, and discuss what it might look like to think about a medical device in the context of all that’s actually human. With additional insights from Jeff Bennett, Gianna Marzilli Ericson, Aaron Oppenheimer, and Christina Harrington.

What do you listen to when you are in your car? Or when you are traveling? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Liz Danzico discuss the car radio and what sounds you are conditioned to hear. With additional insights from Ian Punnett, Phylis Johnson, Karin Bijsterveld, Yuri Suzuki, and Olga Touloumi.

So what did you have for breakfast? Did any of it come from your refrigerator? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Sara Hendren discuss designing for health and safety within the everyday context of refrigeration and the mysterious coldscape. With additional insights from Jonathan Rees, Nicola Twilley, Vipul Saran, and Robyn Metcalfe.

Note: This episode addresses topics particularly sensitive in light of this week's school shooting in Texas. While Design Observer has never shied away from difficult conversations, the editors acknowledge that this content may be difficult for some listeners. Content Warning: Violence, killing, and death are discussed in this episode. It would be hard to find someone who wants to share space with a mosquito. Hence, the creation of the bug zapper. But as designers, how do we address what li...

On a hot summer day there's nothing like walking into a freezing cold office building to remind you of how much humans are modifying their environments. On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Rachel Lehrer discuss the pleasures and pains of air conditioning for ourselves and the sustainability of the planet. With additional insights from Salvatore Basile, Daniel Barber, Kofi Boone, and Gail Brager.

Do you notice the defibrillator on the wall or behind the cash register in the places you visit daily? Have you ever been called on to use one? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Sara Hendren discuss the defibrillator, designing life-saving machines for everyday users, and the power of the power button. With additional insights from Christine Ball, Rachel Plotnick, and Lucienne Roberts.

Do you have a blender? Do you use it? Does it make your life more convenient? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Sloan Leo discuss the blender, gender roles, and power structures. With additional insights from Alice Naylor, Dan Formosa, Ruth Schwartz Cowan, and Michelle Lokot.

What does our need for dongles say about the sustainability, or obsolescence, of the electronics we are designing and consuming? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Liz Danzico discuss dongles and how we might find a more sustainable way forward. With additional insights from Jason Scott, Susan Strasser, Kem Laurin, and Nathan Proctor.

What are the relationships between design and pleasure? How can we design the most pleasurable experiences? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Rachel Lehrer discuss the disco ball and the importance of embodied design. With additional insights from Änne Söll, Nadine Hubbs, Gary Hunt, and David Rose.

Season two of The Futures Archive launches next week and we’re excited to introduce you to our four co-hosts for the season. Just like last season our host Lee Moreau, his co-host, and a variety of experts will explore an object to learn about it's design and cultural history, and unlock a larger conversation about human-centered design and the future. This season, each episode will take an object with power, look for the human at the center — and keep asking questions with our following co-h...

Do you have a pet? Do you name inanimate objects in your life? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and guest host Liz Danzico discuss her dog Harriet, and the anthropomorphization of things. With additional insights from Greger Larson, Gail Melson, and Hannah Chung.

Do you have a favorite recipe? Do you follow it to the letter? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Lesley-Ann Noel discuss how recipes apply to human centered design and the importance of abductive thinking. With additional insights from Xinyi Liu, Julia Collin Davison, and Jon Kolko.

What do your shoes say about you? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Garnette Cadogan discuss the challenge of designing shoes, and the way we assign meaning to our shoes. With additional insights from Elizabeth Semmelhack, Kevin Bethune, and Alexandra Sherlock.

What's in your microbiome? What do you want more of, and what do you want to keep out? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and David Sun Kong discuss the mask, microbes, and the importance of designing with the microbiome not against it. With additional insights from Dr. John David Ike, Nancy Tomes, Katherine and Sabrina Paseman, and Claudia Pasquero.

What do your possessions say about you? Which ones say the most? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Sarah Nagle Parker discuss Daruma dolls and the importance of objects to people and design research. With additional insights from Hiroko Yoda, Dori Tunstall, and Daria Loi.

What do you think about when you think about a ball? About play? On this episode of The Futures Archive Lee Moreau and Saeed Arida discuss the ball, play, and learning. With insights from Josh Chetwynd, Kimberlie Birks, AnnMarie Thomas, and students from the Elliot K-8 Innovation School in Boston.

Lee Moreau and a few of his co-hosts and guests introduce you to The Futures Archive.