A linear thinker, a design thinker and a systems thinker walk into a bar…

They talk about the house of the future.

The linear thinker draws a floor plan. He details the bedrooms, kitchen, bathroom, lounge, etc. He makes sure that each room has adequate light, heating, the correct number of plugs, etc.

Linear thinking breaks the world into smaller parts and focuses on each one separately ©Houda Boulahbel.

The design thinker takes a look at the floor plan and lists out what the tenants of the future will want (He has already interviewed and observed them in their daily life). He notes the way they live, and their desire to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

Design thinking starts from the needs of the user, how they behave, what their needs are, and builds the optimal solution. ©Houda Boulahbel

He then designs a house that runs on solar energy, with materials that optimise energy use. He also designs some pretty clever spaces to fit with the family’s way of life.

The systems thinker points out that the house of the future will be part of a smart city where outdoor living prevails and people only go home to sleep. He also points out that the materials used by the designer do not last for ever; they are very costly and difficult to recycle once they reach end of life. They also include nanomaterials whose impact on human health has not been tested. So they…