November 26th 2025
Live & In Person – 10h | November 26th online + November 28th in person
Location - The Porter - Ground Floor, 1 O’Connell St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
We are no longer living in an age of change. We are living in a change of age. From AI breakthroughs to shifting climates and global disruptions, the pace of change has outgrown the models we’ve used to navigate it. Strategy is no longer about predicting the next step — it’s about imagining what doesn’t yet exist and creating pathways to make it real.
Design Futures is a practical and immersive course for those who lead, build, and shape futures in times of uncertainty. You’ll learn to use imagination as a serious tool — applying design fiction, foresight frameworks and scenario building to craft products, services, and strategies that are ready for tomorrow.
This is not theory — it’s a toolkit for strategic imagination.
/ Why Join?
This course is designed to help leaders turn uncertainty into strategic advantage. You’ll learn how to use futures thinking to drive innovation, strengthen long-term planning, and uncover new business opportunities. Through practical tools and methodologies, you’ll be able to:
- Integrate foresight into your strategic decision-making;
- Identify signals of change before they become trends;
- Design future scenarios to guide product, service and business innovation;
- Build strategies that are adaptive, inclusive and future-ready.
Whether you’re shaping corporate strategy, launching a new venture, or leading systemic change, Design Futures will give you the tools to imagine what’s next — and act on it today.
/ What you'll learn
Futures Literacy
Understand the mindsets and ethics of futures design, and why long-term thinking matters now more than ever.
Weak Signal Detection & Sensemaking
Identify early signs of change and interpret technological, societal, and behavioural shifts.
Scenario Building & Design Fiction
Use speculative storytelling to explore possible and preferable futures.
Strategic Planning with Backcasting
Work backwards from your desired future to define clear, actionable pathways today.
Prototyping Preferable Futures
Design future-ready products, services, and models grounded in ethics and inclusion.
Facilitating Futures Conversations
Lead strategic dialogues that help teams and organisations engage with change constructively.
Building Organisational Resilience
Develop adaptive strategies and structures for uncertain environments.
“We don’t design predictions. We design systems of possibility that are inclusive, ethical, and ready to shape what comes next.”
Learning Journey
- Welcome & course framing
- Futures Thinking & the Futures Cone
- Ethics, diversity & designing for collective futures
- Weak signals, emerging tech & behavioural shifts
- Strategic foresight & sensemaking
- Design fiction, Future Wheel & worldbuilding
- Backcasting: from future visions to present action
- Strategic applications: from insights to new products, services and strategies
/ What our participants say
See what our students have to say about their experience in our courses.
More than 50,000 people have been impacted by our learning journeys.
You too can be part of this group.
“This course bridges theoretical foundations and hands-on application in the best way. Inspiring, informative and fun.”
Julieta Matos-Castaño
Design Lab, University of Twente
It gave me wings while keeping me grounded. The tools made our future feel intentional and actionable.”
Ana Belgun
Co-founder of Terria
After this course, I feel more excited and optimistic than ever about the role I can play in shaping the future.
Carl Thompson
Product Designer at DIUS Computing
/ Meet your facilitators
Ricardo Ruffo
CEO & Co-Founder of Echos
Expert in business design, innovation strategy and futures thinking. Ricardo has facilitated transformation programs and learning journeys throughout Latin America, Australia, and Europe
Juliana Proserpio
Chief Designer & Co-Founder of Echos
Global leader in futures design and participatory foresight. Juliana has led transformative learning experiences across APAC and LATAM, and spoken at What Design Can Do, TEDx, and the Global Innovation Summit.
Let’s build the infrastructure of what comes next
Join a cohort of future-makers and gain the skills to design what's coming.
Live & In Person – 10h | 26th November online + 28th November in person
Enrol now and navigate
the new design paradigm
Early Bird
AUD
1350
- 12 hours of immersive live and remote, hands-on learning to master and apply AI and design concepts collaboratively.
- Learn from leading global AI leaders, discovering how to integrate intelligent workflows that revolutionise processes and results.
- 6-month access to course materials and slides to revisit and deepen your learning.
- Exclusive toolkit with essential tools to use after the course.
- Early access to the Echos Online platform, featuring introductory content leadership and design thinking.
- 1 hour of exclusive mentoring with the Echos team after the course.
Regular
AUD
1500
- 12 hours of immersive live and remote, hands-on learning to master and apply AI and design concepts collaboratively.
- Learn from leading global AI leaders, discovering how to integrate intelligent workflows that revolutionise processes and results.
- 6-month access to course materials and slides to revisit and deepen your learning.
- Exclusive toolkit with essential tools to use after the course.
Enrol your Team
Take your team to the next level with Echos Design Futures. Discover our discounted pricing for corporate groups.
/ our clients
