I’m going to prescribe you some participatory fiction
- I must admit I expected the cast to be 3D-printed or something.
She smiles while punching the keyboard as he sits on the chair.
- 3D-printed casts never actually took off. The benefits, while proven, were not enough to drive mass adoption. That pressure-sensing fabric sleeve under your brace is a different story. It provides a data layer monitoring your recovery process.
- And it looks nice.
- Here are your prescriptions and physiotherapy options. Additionally…
She waves the paperwork at him and gets back to scribbling on her tablet.
- I’m going to prescribe you some participatory fiction. Let’s start with eight weeks and a follow-up appointment in the middle.
- Isn’t this for old people?
- I get this question all the time. Since the memoir-writing story for Alzheimer's patients was a core plot in this series… I forgot its name.
She frowns in concentration, then snaps her fingers.
- Never mind. The core idea is simple. Instead of prescribing exercises that patients usually ignore, participatory fiction turns the recovery process into a personalised story. First, your prescription harvests entertainment platforms to generate a storyline optimised for engagement. Then, depending on the theme, you will help the main characters, influence plot lines, and so on by performing missions, jobs, challenges, or rituals.
- It sounds rather complicated.
- It takes a minute to set up, works according to medical guidelines, and the immersion level is up to you. You can use it as an audiobook on your own or go all in by upgrading your experience with a budget for mystery deliveries or invite friends or family to help you. The more invested you are in the story, the better for recovery. Do you commute to work?
- From time to time.
- Excellent! You can also make it work with SmartPlaces, like public transport, office buildings, or shops, to make it even more interesting. Considering your health profile, a participation rate of over 80% should get you to full mobility.
- Oh, and what has happened to the idea that all patients are different?
- It was only a matter of the sample size. Let me see…
She makes a sequence of swipes on the screen.
- Based on over 36 thousand recent cases, male patients with a health profile similar to yours tend to recover from this type of fracture in under twelve weeks. You’re in good shape and have great results, so you can probably do even better.
She nods, shaking his left hand cautiously.
- See you in four weeks.
- Thank you. Have a nice day.
Hello Practical Futurists,
Welcome to your weekly practice, where we use futures thinking and product sci-fi to improve your strategic imagination and get your leadership future-ready.
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Start here to make the most of your time if this is your first
rodeoedition.
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Weekly Self-Reflection Prompts
Let's make the products and services mentioned in this week’s story even more relatable by grounding them in your personal life.
Use this quote as a starting point for extra inspiration for each prompt.
The past is always tense, the future perfect.
Zadie Smith
Personal life reflection prompts
Have you ever experienced post-traumatic growth after a challenging personal recovery? What are the two ways you can better prepare for such an experience?
What motivates you more: achieving a new milestone or comparing your progress with the past? Why do you think this works for you?
List two ways that help you choose between openness for new growth methods and the risk of distraction by shiny object syndrome.
Which two types of data that you can’t track today would provide unique feedback for your personal development plans?
How do you stay engaged in learning new things to stay on top of your professional field?
What proof would you need to try a new personal growth technology or method? Where or who do you usually get it from?
Well done.
Let’s switch to the context of your industry, organisation, team, service or product you are working with.
Professional life reflection prompts
Think of a technology or method your organisation has considered but hasn’t adopted. Why?
What type of resistance to change does your organisation face from customers?
Which last 2 pieces of storytelling have inspired your leadership style the most recently?
How did you recently counteract scepticism towards new ideas within your organisation?
What 4 incentives would your organisation offer customers who agree to data collection or usage monitoring?
Name an actor who should narrate your team meetings.
What 3 metrics or feedback mechanisms does your organisation use to evaluate the impact of its newly implemented solutions?
Would offering a further product or service customisation in your current organisation improve your business or complicate it operationally beyond potential profit?
In what 2 ways does usage data currently inform your product improvement decisions?
Name a leader who became famous for coming up with a non-traditional solution to a traditional problem.
And that’s all we have today.
Share your answers and let us know which ideas to explore further.
Don't forget to explore previous editions if you want even more inspiration.
Have a great week, and see you in the next one.
Pawel Halicki
PS. If you’re enjoying Practical Futures, will you take 5 seconds to forward this story to inspire a fellow leader?
It helps us to grow the community and may one day empower more strategic thinkers to lead in the age of AI.