A designer’s guide to building for an unpredictable future

As designers, we’re tasked with creating products and experiences that not only meet the needs of today but also anticipate the demands of tomorrow. But how do we design for a future that’s always just out of reach? To stay ahead of the curve, we don’t have to be able to predict the future, but we do have to embrace uncertainty and cultivate a mindset of adaptability.



When I first started my career as a designer, I thought I had a good grasp on what the future held and how to prepare for it. Master the right tools and techniques, and you’ll create successful, future-proof designs—or so I believed. But as the years went by and the industry continued to evolve at a rapid pace, I realized my approach was flawed. There will always be factors outside of your control that can drastically alter your environment, leaving you to adapt quickly.



Throughout my career, I’ve encountered numerous unexpected challenges that have taught me the importance of planning for change. For instance, I once worked on a project where we were set to launch a new product only to have a competitor release a similar offering just days before our planned debut. In another case, a change in government regulations unexpectedly blocked a planned acquisition. These experiences have shown me that while you can’t predict exactly what will change, you can anticipate that change is inevitable.



Over time, I’ve established a product framework that outlines three key strategies for planning and designing for future changes. By embracing uncertainty and focusing on adaptability, we can create designs that not only meet the needs of today but also thrive in the face of tomorrow’s challenges.



Prioritize goals over solutions



Future-proofing your designs isn’t about having a crystal ball. It’s about focusing on the core goals that drive your users’ needs. History is filled with examples of companies that failed to adapt. Take, for example, film photography behemoth Kodak and its reluctance to embrace digital photography. Here was a company that dominated the industry for decades but got so caught up fixating on film as the solution that it failed to recognize its customers’ primary goal was preserving memories, not the medium itself.



It’s a classic case of prioritizing the solution over the goal. At the end of the day, people just wanted to capture and share their memories; the medium was secondary. Don’t over-index on one specific solution. When the environment changes, you should question whether the solutions you have still align with your long-term goals, or if they’ve become counterproductive.



Empower users to build their own solutions



One way to avoid this trap is to put more power in the hands of users. By creating tools and platforms that allow people to customize and build upon designs, designers can tap into users’ creativity and problem-solving skills. Companies like Notion, Webflow, and Airtable have thrived by giving users the building blocks to create their own solutions, making their products more adaptable to individual needs and fostering a sense of ownership among their user base.



In the case of Notion, instead of offering a rigid, one-size-fits-all productivity app, it provides users with a tool kit of building blocks, enabling them to construct custom workflows tailored to their unique needs. On one end, you have individuals crafting simple to-do lists and personal wikis. On the other, entire organizations are building complex project management systems, customer relationship management (CRM) databases, and comprehensive knowledge bases.



By providing users with a flexible set of tools rather than a prescribed solution, Notion has fostered a vibrant community of creators who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with the platform. This approach ensures that Notion remains relevant and valuable in the face of changing user needs; it also sparks innovation and surfaces new use cases that the company itself may never have envisioned.



Similarly, when designing Figma variables , reusable values like colors, text, and numbers that can be leveraged across designs, our team opted for a flexible, user-driven approach rather than implementing a more rigid design token system. This decision empowered designers to develop custom solutions tailored to their unique needs, from theme-switching to content translation. As a result, our users then went off and used variables in ways that we never could have imagined, like building fully working versions of games like Flappy Bird and Jeopardy . By providing these atomic tools, even if the needs of designers change, the system can adapt. 



Reinvent the wheel in a changing landscape



In a rapidly evolving design environment, we must be willing to challenge established norms and reinvent the wheel when necessary. What worked yesterday may not work today, and what works today may not work tomorrow. This means stepping outside comfort zones, questioning the status quo, and being open to unconventional ideas, even if they seem a little “out there” at first. 



In the gaming industry, Valve did exactly that when it started giving away its games for free in response to rampant piracy. The company focused instead on selling in-game cosmetics and allowing creators to make and sell their own. It was a bold move that upended the traditional business model; Valve was called crazy at the time. This decision ultimately paved the way for new monetization models that have become standard practice today. Ten years earlier the approach would have never worked, but the environment changed and the company was able to adapt to it. 



Embracing the future



Designers have an incredible opportunity to shape the future and push the boundaries of what’s possible by embracing the uncertainty of change. In a world where change is the only constant, future-proofing design requires a fundamental shift in mindset. By prioritizing goals over solutions, empowering users to build their own solutions, and embracing the need to reinvent the wheel, we can create designs that not only withstand the test of time but also thrive in the face of uncertainty. In the end, the most successful and enduring designs are not those that predict the future, but those that adapt to it.