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Design Futures and Emerging Technologies

When you'll study it
Semester 2
CATS points
30
ECTS points
15
Level
Level 7
Module lead
Nicola Hirst
Academic year
2026-27

Module overview

In the Design Futures and Emerging Technologies module, you will gain in-depth expertise in applying smart and emerging technologies - including sensory processing, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), artificial intelligence (AI), creative coding, and smart systems processing. The module investigates how these technologies can be applied to envision and shape sustainable, equitable, and ethical futures. Through speculative design briefs, you'll engage with both creative and technical methods to conceptualise and prototype forward-thinking interventions. The module emphasises immersive experience design, human-computer interaction, and frameworks for responsible innovation, while encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration, industry engagement, and the use of future foresight tools to address complex societal challenges. You’ll develop an understanding of how emerging technologies systems influence decision-making, systems and user behaviour. Emphasis is placed on designing for equity and accessibility, ensuring that future design solutions respond to diverse needs and cultural contexts. As you build advanced prototyping skills using digital and computational platforms, you’ll learn how to evaluate the broader implications of your design proposals within real-world socio-technical contexts.