Eco-Conscious Camper: Can You Be Clean and Green on the Go?
Can campers truly live out their eco-conscious values while ensuring a safe and hygienic outdoor experience?
A Legacy Brand Grapples with Disruption
Insurance is something to provide security from risk. New risks are emerging, technology is changing rapidly, and the very definition of "insurance" is in flux. And those changing risks are something that form, develop, and at the same time threaten the insurance business. Imagine a world where an insurance company isn't just reacting to risks, but anticipating them. That's the future Northwestern Mutual was striving for.
Client
Northwestern Mutual
Sector
Insurance - Fintech
My Contributions
Trend Research and Innovation strategy.
Risk isn’t what it used to be
Car insurance is becoming less important, while threats like cyber attacks and extreme weather are getting worse. There are also new problems, like the impact of automation on jobs, are emerging that traditional insurance may not cover. As people share cars more and self-driving cars become a thing, insurance companies need to find ways to insure entire trips, not just cars. Mutual insurance companies, built on a foundation of stability, need a way to stay ahead of the curve, that empowered every employee to become a proactive changemaker.
The Looming Threat.
The insurance industry stands at the brink of disruption as traditional risks evolve and new challenges emerge. Rapidly advancing technologies and shifting consumer preferences threaten the viability of established business models.
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Proactive consumers: Tech-savvy customers might bypass traditional sales channels, rendering agent-based model obsolete. Imagine a world where AI-powered financial advisors curate personalized insurance plans, leaving traditional agents in the dust.
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Agile InsurTech competitors: Nimble startups could offer highly personalized insurance solutions and seamless digital experiences, outpacing legacy companies innovation.
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Ignoring the big picture: Focusing solely on managing existing risks could leave the organisation unprepared for non-risk factors ike changing demographics, health trends, and economic disruptions. Imagine a future with pandemics caused by mutated viruses or economic meltdowns triggered by AI-driven stock market crashes.
..“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore”..
- William Faulkner
Anticipating Change, Not Just Reacting
The organization wasn't looking for a magic solution, but a systematic approach to empower its employees. Here's the crux of the problem: a wealth of industry data, mountains of historical trends, and a team of talented minds – all existing in silos. Employees struggled to connect the dots and creatively conceptualize future risks as they related to Northwestern Mutual's offerings.
The challenge was clear: how to cultivate a culture of creative thinking and strategic foresight among its workforce, particularly those developing the next generation of insurance products and services. Northwestern Mutual needed a way to equip their employees to create offerings not just react to change, but to actively anticipate it.
..“You cannot swim for new horizons until you have courage to lose sight of the shore”..
- William Faulkner
Red Pill: A Multimodal Tool for Foresight
Red Pill is a gamified experience to help the financial services organization plan for and navigate the future of their business. These tools were designed for collaborative workshops. Teams would draw cards, analyze potential trajectories, and use them to build future scenarios. The worksheets then prompted them to explore the opportunities and challenges within each scenario, ultimately backcasting to identify actionable steps for the present.
The Red Pill wasn't a crystal ball. It was a set of tools to guide employees through a structured brainstorming process. The toolkit included:
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Driving Force Cards: 15 cards outlining external and internal factors that could impact the future based on signals from the present.
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Wildcards: 9 cards representing unexpected (black swan) events with potentially game-changing consequences.
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Futurecasting Worksheets: 4 guides to help employees through brainstorming exercises, these worksheets help translate insights from cards into tangible future scenarios.
Small Footprint, Big Impact:
Droplet features a compact and lightweight design that fits easily into any backpack or camping gear. The sturdy casing, constructed from stainless steel or titanium, ensures durability and can withstand the rigors of outdoor adventures.
Clean Water, Made Simple:
Droplet uses ozone technology to effectively sanitize water within 30 seconds. This eliminates harmful bacteria and ensures safe drinking water, even from questionable sources.
Efficiency Matters:
Droplet's compact design and easy-to-use interface allow for effortless water sanitation, freeing up time for enjoying the outdoors. Additionally, Droplet integrates with a complimentary mobile app, offering campers further data insights
Built to Last:
The droplet is built with a modular design, enabling easy access for maintenance and replacement of internal components. This extends the lifespan of the product and minimizes waste compared to disposable water filters or sanitation solutions.
" Quite often, when organizations do research, the big problem is the transition from research to meaning … But here, you guys have done tons of research, and you made sense of patterns. And then you also turned them into a way to interact with the research itself to help us formulate an answer in the future."
- Tony Bryum. Principal Senior Director, Design Department
Client Testimonial
