Future Studio: Idea to Prototype (DA4204.01)

Robert Ransick; Andrew Cencini

This two-part (fall and spring) course is conceived and structured as a small start-up. Modeled after the Bennington Plan, which is inherently entrepreneurial, Future Studio engages business as a creative space that marries collaborative inquiry-based idea development, technology and new business models to generate constructive social purpose. The course will progress over the year from idea development to prototype to market and financial analysis to business planning to potential public launch. The studio values creativity, technological innovation, place-centered economies, worker-centered ownership, environmental sustainability, social justice and financial viability.

During the fall term we critically investigate ideas engaged with the Internet of Things wireless communication and sensors embedded in the world around us, generating unprecedented amounts of data. We will employ future scenario research and analysis to help guide our work. The goal is to collaboratively develop and create a new venture that has the potential to move beyond the academic structure and be launched as a viable business into the world.

You do not need to be an artist, computer programmer or technologist to meaningfully participate in this course. Students who are interested in rethinking what it means to be in business today, possess an interest in the technological promise of the near future and have skills and knowledge from any of the following discipline areas are especially encouraged to participate: Digital Arts, Computing, Psychology, Design, Architecture, Mathematics, Physics, Environment or Anthropology.

This course may include opportunities for FWT 2015.

Skills:
Each student will bring and leave with a different set of skills. This is by design, and part of what will help the studio function most effectively. All participants in the studio will share their existing and newly formed knowledge openly and freely. Students will naturally gravitate towards skills they have or discover an affinity towards, including the development of technical abilities, design skills, or capabilities as a leader. Together, all members of the studio will also work on a common set of skills, including:

-Idea generation
-Market analysis
-Fundamentals of business, organization, and business structures
-Communication and collaboration in a creative and business setting
-Awareness of emerging technology areas, such as the Internet of Things
-Design literacy (screen and user experience)
-Entrepreneurship
-Basic financial models and principles necessary to sustain business

Format:
We will meet as a studio on Wednesdays, straddling the lunch period. The lunch time may be used to continue discussion as a group (if desired), or may be used as one’s own personal time. We suggest holding this time in your calendar for possible group work etc.

The first few weeks will be utilized to build a collective consciousness and curiosity related to core business and technical principles. This time period will consist of informed discussion, as well as in- and out-of-class activities related to the subject matter. Simultaneously, the group will survey the IOT field and begin laying the groundwork for idea development.

After a core understanding is developed, the studio format will evolve to in order to develop the objectives defined by studio members. This will include a variety of activities including brainstorming sessions, small-group discussions, design sessions, development work, strategy sessions, knowledge-sharing sessions, or other such activities. As a studio, we will maintain and discuss our schedule, objectives and format as the enterprise progresses.

Workload:
Workload for Future Studio may vary widely from week to week – rather than simply progress through a series of lessons, the studio will be working to research and develop an idea and prototype for a product and business. Few endeavors of this sort observe a regular rhythm, and defining the future is different from predicting the future – as will be reflected in the workload.

Research/Wiki
All students are required to maintain a personal wiki site for this class. This space should act as an electronic journal and contain your research, summaries of all the class readings (must be posted by Tuesday at 2:00PM) and documentation of work. Individual and group pages are to be updated regularly (weekly). Each student is responsible for viewing and commenting on all student pages.

In addition, there is a glossary section on the wiki and whenever you come across a term that is unfamiliar, look up the definition and post it there too.
http://wiki.bennington.edu/Future_Studio

Textbook:
There is no textbook required for this class. However, previous (summer) reading and research includes:

-Owning Our Future: The Emerging Ownership Revolution (book) by Marjorie Kelly
-Internet of Things (IoT) MIT Technology Review Business Report (reading)
-Monitoring technology and business trends via news sources:
–http://gigaom.com/
–http://gizmodo.com/
–http://techcrunch.com/
–http://www.theinternetofthings.eu
–http://infosthetics.com
–http://www.visualcomplexity.com
–http://www.informationisbeautiful.net

Additional readings, case studies and other materials will be provided in class over the course of the term.

Requirements:
-Above all, members of Future Studio will be committed to maintaining a respectful, constructive, and collaborative environment for all.
-Members will attend ALL scheduled meetings (class and otherwise), or must communicate their absence in advance. No absence is excused, and more than two absences may result in dismissal from the studio. If you must miss a class, email both instructors before the start of class.
-All members will contribute to the fullest extent of their talents, and challenge themselves beyond their boundaries. Complacency or free riding have no place here.
-Members will be honest and communicative in their work and association.
-Members will work to resolve conflicts fairly and maturely, and work to de-escalate tension during difficult times.
-Cliché, but: we will work extremely hard, and also have a lot of fun.

Evaluation:
All studio members are enrolled in Future Studio on a Pass/Fail basis, across the Fall and Spring term. Because of the nature and duration of the studio and its work, evaluation during the Fall term will reflect “work in progress” and serve as a useful review checkpoint, while the Spring evaluation will reflect a final assessment of each member’s total contribution to the success of Future Studio.

Specific areas of evaluation will include:

-Participation / attitude
-Communication
-Collaboration
-Creative / conceptual / technical work and individual progress over the entire course.
-Overall contribution to the enterprise

Andrew and Robert may also schedule periodic 1:1 (or 2:1) check-ins over the course of the term to discuss performance and progress.

Getting Help: The studio leaders (Andrew & Robert) are available during office hours, by appointment, or via email. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one or both of us with any questions, issues, or ideas you may have. It is easier to solve small problems earlier, rather than grapple with large problems later.

Chris Chenier, the Digital Arts technician, is also available to assist students. He can be reached by email: cchenier@bennington.edu. Pod information can be found here: http://pod.bennington.edu/

Timeline (Fall):

Part 1: The Playing Field: Research and Observation
IOT
Alternate Business forms/generative economy
Business cases/profiles
Strategy
Looking for opportunities

Part 2: Prototype: Play the Future
Future Scenario Research and Design
Idea generation
Experience prototyping/paper prototyping
Critical analysis

Part 3: Create: Revise and Ready
Select idea(s) to develop robust prototype
Technical instruction/support
Design considerations
Preparation for FWT/Spring

The end result shall be one or more ideas that have been developed to the point of a prototype or early design, to be continued over FWT and into the spring term.