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SXSW London 2025: Designing with empathy and reimagining Time magazine’s legacy

Courtesy of SXSW London, UK

UK – On day three of SXSW London, the design track spotlighted the future of design in an AI-driven world, with speakers urging designers to focus on what makes them human: empathy and grief.

Peter Skillman, global head of design at Philips, argued that empathy isn’t a soft skill but a strategic one that leads to better care outcomes. He presented Philips Pediatric Coaching as a case study in empathetic design that is impactful and cost-effective for children undergoing MRI scans.

To reduce high sedation rates among children under seven – ranging from 74.6% to 91.1% according to Children – Philips created a holistic experience featuring a cartoon elephant named Ollie, a gamified mobile app, an educational toy scanner and in-scan entertainment.

‘By integrating narrative elements, children can place themselves at the centre of the story and become the main character,’ said Skillman. ‘With a Disney film playing during the scan, the environment becomes less clinical and more comforting. As a result, children move less, reducing the need for sedation.’ This, he added, leads to better outcomes at lower costs. ‘The key to this success lies in understanding how children feel in that moment and designing an experience that addresses their emotions.’

Later on the main stage in Innovating Legacy, Time CEO Jessica Sibley discussed how the 100-year-old publication is evolving. When she took over in 2022, her first move was to scrap the paywall and make all content, including Time’s archives, free to access. To stay relevant, the newsroom refocused on AI, health and climate coverage, while the business pivoted toward B2B services such as thought leadership for senior executives.

‘We’re doing high-value work. We’re less reliant on middlemen and less affected by platform changes at Meta, Google, and now AI-led discovery and search. We’re not competing in the low-value or low-commodity content space,’ said Sibley.

Looking ahead, she revealed that Time will deepen its use of AI, following a strategic partnership with OpenAI in 2024. ‘Imagine a world where Time could exist in any language, accessible everywhere and for free. AI is helping us do that,’ she said. ‘We’re about to launch a site-wide toolbar that lets you interact with content: you can chat with it, translate it, summarise it or customise an audio version depending on whether you have 5 or 10 minutes. You’ll be able to access it in whatever form suits you best.’

Strategic opportunity

Consider how to experiment with AI toolbars that let users interact with your content: summarise, translate, generate audio or ask questions. This can increase accessibility, retention and engagement across global audiences

Foresight Friday: Rose Coffey, senior foresight analyst

Meet You In The Park, Levi's, US

Every Friday, The Future Laboratory team offers an end-of-week wrap-up of the topics, issues, ideas and virals we’re all talking about. This week, senior foresight analyst Rose Coffey unpacks algorithmic agency, the evolution of brand allyship and how everyday rituals are being reframed as moments of celebration.

: I don’t want to jinx it, but TikTok’s latest product update could mark a step toward algorithmic transparency. Now with access to manage topics and smart keyword filtering, users have more control over the content they see – a response to growing fatigue with toxic, personalised feeds. As explored in our Teens, Tech and Tapping Out market report, mental health concerns are fuelling disengagement. Whether this new curation layer will rebuild trust is uncertain, but in a world where social media isn’t going anywhere, it points to a broader demand for user-led digital experiences.

: As brands activate their annual Pride campaigns, Levi’s stands apart with Meet You In The Park, created in collaboration with the GLBT Historical Society. Rather than seasonal rainbow-washing, the campaign highlights the importance of Queer-safe spaces and taps into liberation iconography such as the upside-down pink triangle, a symbol once used to call out and persecute LGBTQ+ individuals. Backed by tangible action – from parade sponsorships to community donations and volunteer days – it echoes themes from our Resilience Branding report: brands are doubling down on purpose through allyship that’s lived, not just labelled. Amid a volatile global climate for LGBTQIA+ rights, it’s wonderful to see fashion used as a tool for social justice.

: The cherry on top of my week? Ikea’s new collaboration with Swedish designers Gustaf Westman and Evelina Kroon, a playful rethink of what celebration means today. Rejecting the idea that joy requires an occasion, the project champions spontaneous gatherings, inclusive tables and cross-generational rituals. With Kroon’s nostalgic minimalism and Westman’s bold, cartoonish forms, the three ‘celebration moods’ blur the line between tradition and improvisation. It’s a vibrant example of brands designing for emotional resonance in everyday life – a theme we’ve been tracking closely on LS:N Global.

Quote of the week

‘We’re getting back to our community roots, with people wanting to connect and collaborate with each another. Pride started as a protest. We’re here to show up and be heard as who we are. Pride creates joy, and queer joy is an act of resistance’

Eve Keller, co-president of USA Prides, in The Guardian

Stat: UK shopping centres lag in EV charging infrastructure

Photography by Kindel Media

UK – A new study by Zenith, a UK leasing and fleet management firm, reveals that 20% of the country’s shopping centres lack any electric vehicle (EV) charging points. The research ranked shopping centres based on EV charging availability, rapid charger presence and EV parking spaces.

Among those with EV chargers, only 35% offered rapid or ultra-rapid options, leaving most drivers limited to slower charging speeds (below 43kw). On average, just 1% of parking spaces at shopping centres are equipped with EV chargers, highlighting a growing gap as EV adoption rises.

Andy Wolff, commercial director at Zenith Corporate, said, ‘To change behaviours, we need to make electric vehicles more accessible to everyday users and improve overall consumer confidence. Shopping centres are a great example of the high traffic areas which need to be targeted when installing further EV infrastructure.’

While the UK public charging network grew by 37% last year, Wolff stresses more investment is needed to support the government’s 2030 petrol and diesel phase-out target.

Head to our newly released report Urban Transport Futures to better understand the future of electric powered travel, mobility as a service (MaaS) and autonomous driving.

Strategic opportunity

Transform retail destinations such as shopping centres into EV-friendly hubs by integrating rapid chargers, EV valet services and loyalty schemes that reward drivers for charging while they shop, turning infrastructure into a brand affinity and footfall driver