Symbiotic Futures explores preferrable relationships between people and the environment in the post-Covid era where medical practice, health communities and cultures of care transform how we interact with each other, with professionals and the world around us.

Through a ‘Life-Centred’ design approach, participants helped envision a future world context to develop products, services and system experiences for the people and environments associated with it.

The project asked us to shift our design perspective by de-centering the human; to speculate on new symbiotic ways of caring for ourselves and the environment which are circular, culturally inclusive and mutually beneficial to people and planet.

Research and development has been undertaken by a dynamic community of practice, including final year Product Design students at Glasgow School of Art’s Innovation School and supported by the knowledge and expertise of academics and practitioners working across the domains of health, well-being and care.