Shaping the Future with Users --- Futures Research Methods as Tools for User-Centered Concept Development

We have identified four problems when developing futuristic concepts. Technologies cannot be used as boundaries for concept creation, there is a lot of room for surprises, user knowledge is bound to present day, and futuristic concepts are not easily communicable. We propose three methods from Futures Studies to tackle these problems, with the emphasis in developing futuristic product and service concepts in a business-to-business context. In this paper, we introduce the methods and discuss the possible benefits gained from their use.