Proyectos archivo - Invisible

Future companions in 2030

A research and strategic foresight initiative with BBVA Spain, where we asked: What will it mean to be a “companion” in 2030?

To address this question, we designed The Oracle, a framework that enabled us to detect the social, technological, economic, political, and cultural shifts reshaping the concept of companionship—and to explore their implications for the relationship between brands and customers. Through a qualitative research process, we examined how societal expectations around the role of a “companion” may evolve in the future, identifying both opportunities and challenges for brands. The goal was to inform BBVA’s Marketing, Behavioural Economics, and Design strategies, translating our findings into concrete initiatives, value propositions, and customer experiences for the years ahead.

Approach

During the first five months of the project, the research team conducted a systematic detection of signals of change through:

Documenting emerging trends, gathering over 300 strong signals from media, social networks, regulation, the tech industry, and new market initiatives.

Monthly sensemaking sessions, where we analysed and prioritised insights to define the key research directions.

The envisioning and scenario development phase took place over the following six months, culminating in the identification of critical issues for BBVA. This phase explored how each scenario could impact the organisation from both a business and societal perspective.

Additionally, we developed strategic recommendations and roadmaps, translating insights into tangible initiatives that enable proactive decision-making and adaptation—enhancing the customer experience in a rapidly evolving landscape.

New meanings in the fashion experience

At a time when the connection between product and shopping experience is no longer a differentiator but an expected standard, this project set out to deeply understand customer expectations when stepping into a store and experiencing “fashion.”

In collaboration with a globally leading fashion brand, our goal was not only to identify the key elements that shape this experience but also to elevate it—ensuring that every interaction reflects the brand’s essence while making product discovery effortless. To achieve this, it was crucial to pinpoint which aspects enhanced the experience, which detracted from it, and where opportunities for improvement lay—all with the customer at the heart of the process.

Approach

To address these questions, we designed a tailored research strategy, combining qualitative and quantitative methodologies across three key cities: Paris, London, and Barcelona.

Through in-depth interviews and in-store observations, we analysed shopping behaviour in 23 retail locations, identifying patterns, friction points, and moments of value. This fieldwork was complemented by a quantitative study based on a survey of 1,200 customers across Spain, France, and the UK, alongside a trend analysis that allowed us to detect emerging shifts in the fashion industry.

The outcome: nine key insights that serve as a strategic compass for transforming the in-store retail experience. These learnings have shaped actionable initiatives within the company’s strategic roadmap, with a clear objective: to optimise customer-product interaction and redesign the in-store journey to align with the expectations of the future.

Espacio Futuro: Bonds of trust for resilient futures

In 2022, as the world emerged from the pandemic, Seguros Santalucía celebrated its 100th anniversary and came to us with an ambitious question:

“We know what we have achieved over the past century,
but what can we become in the next 100 years?”

Over the course of a year in 2023, we worked alongside the company’s innovation department to envision and design the organisational framework for a new kind of initiative within the company. This led to the creation of Espacio Futuro—a strategic foresight think tank that merges the internal intelligence of the Santalucía Group with the expertise of leading external voices and forward-looking research developed by Invisible. Together, we aim to identify and decode the key challenges of today and tomorrow, shaping innovative ideas and solutions that enhance quality of life across all stages of life, fostering a sense of security and well-being.

2025 marks the official launch of Espacio Futuro, debuting with an exploration of trust—an increasingly scarce yet foundational element of modern society—setting the theme for this inaugural year.

Approach

Espacio Futuro operates on a two-year cycle, guided by the principle of ‘Cause and Effect‘. Each cycle begins with a thematic focus, serving as the basis for deep analysis, insight generation, trend detection, future scenario development, and ultimately, the identification of key strategic challenges. In the second year, these findings translate into tangible initiatives designed to support the innovation and business units of Santalucía and its partners.

Beyond research, our role at Invisible is to craft an engaging and meaningful research experience for the 150+ participants involved in the initiative. We oversee the design and production of all events, workshops, and discussions, ensuring seamless collaboration and knowledge exchange. Additionally, we produce audiovisual future scenarios in partnership with UK-based 3D studio Interstudio, making our insights accessible to a broader audience.

Espacio Futuro inaugural year open reports are available on its official website.

Encouraged Tomorrows

Given the urgency of climate change, we are faced with challenges related to the agency and will to act. “Encouraged Tomorrows” is an invitation to rethink the way we address these issues in the near future, taking into account any new factors that might come into play. Through an in-depth understanding of the signs of change that are appearing among audiences, we are striking new paths to promote a more significant connection to the ecological transition.

Approach

Through support from the European Climate Foundation, we conducted a process of futures research over a period of 10 months, identifying signs of change and extracting valuable insights for the project. This helped to encapsulate the essence of global changes, as well as a series of emerging trends, and illustrate their impact on the lives of various archetypes of people, representatives of new prospective paradigms (future people).

The last stage of the project involved fitting these “people” into a series of similarly archetypical alternative scenarios (Dator, 2009), to explore the complexity of each hypothesis surrounding the concept of motivation in the future.

‘Windows to the Future’ Exhibition

A link between art, technology and desirable futures.

In early 2024, as part of Telefónica’s centennial celebrations, the Telefónica Foundation hosted an exhibition featuring six major international artists and creative studios, who worked to transcend conventional notions of what the future will look like and propose optimistic visions in which technology emerges as a force for change and where the interaction between social, cultural, environmental and technological factors shapes our visions of the future.

It represents the continuation of a narrative that the Telefónica Foundation has been exploring for some time and which began with “The Great Imagination”, “Histories from the Future” and “Liam Young: Building Worlds”. A fantastic idea for speculating on the next 100 years.

Approach

At invisible provided the artists advice while preparing the audiovisual narratives, in which digital art and new technologies were used as means for shaping alternative futures. Our work covered theoretical, conceptual and discursive aspects, ensuring that each audio installation not only challenged traditional perspectives on the future, but also encouraged in-depth reflection and enriching dialogue between the present and all the possibilities awaiting us in the exhibition’s texts.

This project marks the beginning of a new form of cooperation between invisible and cultural organisations, as art should act not only mirror the present and past, but also serve as a tool for exploring futures.

Mapping Political Will

Our mission was to decipher and reconstruct the notion of “political will” in the near future. The reality we observed is one plagued with contemporary paradoxes: job instability, technological developments such as artificial intelligence and automation, political polarisation and a growing demand for environmental justice. Faced with this situation, we performed a multifaceted analysis aimed at understanding how these factors are changing society’s behaviour, needs and values and predicting their future impact on our political will.

The challenge involved extracting knowledge from a host of emerging signs of change over a one year period, with a view to comprehending the underlying forces that are shaping civil society’s political determination and, in doing so, identifying opportunities for systemic change.

Approach

Our methodology was based on a participatory futures observatory, with support from the European Climate Foundation. During the year, we organised a series of meetings and workshops to challenge assumptions and encourage ongoing critical thought. These sessions, held regularly, were implemented jointly with other key players in climate action in Spain.

Future Landscapes for Financial Health

In 2022, we conducted a Scenario Planning project based on primary research that involved systemically identifying signs of change in people’s daily lives. These changes included social, technological, economic, environmental and cultural aspects. This approach made it possible to anticipate and explore the future of Financial Health and Sustainability, predicting future scenarios based on emerging trends in different areas. This allowed us to consider the future consequences and define the role our organisation should play in the coming years, helping us to improve our marketing, innovation and design strategies.

According to the bank, financial health may be defined as wellbeing achieved through the proper management of personal, family or business finances to cover unforeseen situations and attain future life goals.

This, however, begs the question: will this definition remain valid in the future, when people’s lives are influenced by new factors?

Approach

We employed diverse frameworks to scan reality on a social, technological, economic, environmental, political and values-based level. Our aim was to understand and predict prospective futures within a specific geographical context and timeframe: Spain, within 5 to 7 years time.

We observed clear signs and manifestations of change at a global level. However, certain signals remained somewhat vague until we managed to understand their interconnection with other factors, as nothing occurs in isolation.

As we pushed the project forward, a series of future landscapes began to appear before our eyes. These scenarios allowed us to analyse and imagine how different families would live under a series of what are today emerging circumstances, offering a glimpse at what the bank’s main role will be in the future.