Futures Field Notes
How to use your Futures Field Notes
When you're on a field trip, you're stepping out of your usual environment to see the world differently. On one of our Futures Field Trips, you're not just stepping out, you're also stepping forward. You're observing the present changing with the futures in mind.
This notebook is here to help you notice what might be changing and to reflect on what that change could mean.
For each observation, ask yourself:
What did I notice?
Why is it interesting or relevant?
How might it shape or signal a future?
Feel free to sketch, write quotes, or just jot fragments. This is your personal notebook, not a report. Try to use only one page per observation.
What to capture
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Signals
Small signs of change that feel new or surprising.
Example: A refill station for water bottles at the airport to encourage reusable bottle use.
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Trends
Emerging patterns that seem to be gaining traction.
Example: More brands advertising “repairable” products instead of disposables.
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Concepts
New methods, systems, or models.
Example: A “sharing economy” library for power tools in a neighborhood.
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Questions
Things you’re curious or puzzled about.
Example: Why are certain materials or products vanishing from stores?
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Frictions
Tensions, contradictions, or gaps in how things work.
Example: A climate-positive product in a supermarket wrapped in single-use plastic.
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Ideas
Your own new thoughts or sparks inspired by what you see.
Example: What if offices had a ‘carbon budget’ instead of a coffee budget?
How to activate your observations
At the end of each day
Share at least one observation with someone else.
Talking it through will help sharpen your thinking and spark new connections.
Beyond the Futures Field Trip
This notebook is a start. A small habit of reflection and curiosity that you can bring into your professional and personal life. Keep noticing. Keep asking. Futures thinking begins by paying attention.