CONOR MCARTHUR

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Collaborative Futures



Group Project: Julie Farre, Conor McArthur, Mafalda Reynolds Brandao, Alfie Ramskill-Pugh
Project Partners: New Commercial Arts, The Glasgow School of Art Glasgow School of Art, February 2024

Exhibited at:
New Commerical Arts, London, January 2024
University of Glasgow, February 20204
GSA Degree Show, June 2024


Project Overview

Collaborative Futures was a speculative design research project in partnership with New Commercial Arts (NCA) and the School of Innovation & Technology (GSA). The project explored the next decade of customer experience and design education, asking how designers, consultancies, and institutions might adapt to emerging social, technological, and cultural shifts.

At the core of the project was a comprehensive research publication, synthesising 36 expert interviews and futures methodologies into a 10-year roadmap. This document highlighted key trajectories and challenges in design practice and education, distilled into three major areas of change:
  • AI & Data – exploring automation, ethics, and new ways of assessing design learning.
  • Materials & Resources – envisioning regenerative futures and alternative ownership models.
  • Sensory Experiences – considering immersive, embodied, and affective forms of design.

Process & Methods

  • Conducted desk and primary research, producing over 1000 minutes of interview transcripts.
  • Applied STEEPLE analysis and Causal Layered Analysis to identify long-term drivers of change.
  • Developed speculative roadmaps and narratives for future design practice.
  • Created provotypes and knowledge artefacts—such as a Live Resource Map and regenerative material samples—to embody our future scenarios.
  • Compiled insights and outcomes into a professional research book, distributed to partners and exhibited publicly.

Outcomes

The project concluded with presentations at NCA’s London studio and at The ARC, University of Glasgow, where we shared our research book, roadmap, and speculative artefacts. These events opened dialogue between students, educators, and practitioners, positioning design as a critical tool for shaping more sustainable, human-centred futures.