Designing the Future of Work

We are facing a historical shift in how and where people work, live, and socialize. This shift begins online, but it has consequences for the way our cities, offices, and homes are designed.

The built environment must adapt to changes in people’s preferences. But designers, developers, and regulators are struggling to figure out what to build and how to build it. Even the end-users themselves are not yet sure of their needs and preferences.

These challenges call for a new approach that empowers end-users to shape their own environment. Kasey Klimes describes this approach as “designing for emergence.” I hosted a live chat with Kasey on LinkedIn to explore his ideas and consider how they apply to the built world.

Kasey is a Principal at Rhizome R&D and previously served as a Senior User Experience Researcher at Google (Maps) and as a City Planner and Data Scientist at Gehl. He has a Master's Degree from UC Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design.

Links mentioned in our talk:

• Kasey's website and newsletter piece, How to Design for Emergence
• Kasey's firm, Rhizome R&D
• A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander
• Dror's newsletter piece, Are you Designing for Emergence?
• How to design products with "low floors, high ceilings, wide walls"