LSN : Big Ideas

Big Ideas

Snap them all

North America – Snap Inc is dropping a limited supply of its Spectacles product in random locations across the US using automated vending machines.

Snapchat Spectacles : Geo Quests : Anti-choice Architecture

Big Ideas

The death of Black Friday

UK – New research shows that the novelty of Black Friday has already worn off for Britons.

Retail : Black Friday : Shopping

Big Ideas

Solar subscription

US – A clean energy start-up is applying the sharing economy model to renewable energy with a solar panel subscription scheme.

Arcadia Power : Whole-system Thinking : The Sharing Economy

Big Ideas

Masking the problem

India – Air quality is a major concern in New Delhi as people take to wearing pollution masks to protect themselves against dangerous smog levels.

Airborne Anxieties : Delhi : Smog

Big Ideas

Transparent earnings

Global – LinkedIn is tapping into its wealth of resources to open up the debate about salary transparency.

Workplace Futures : LinkedIn : LinkedIn Salary

Big Ideas

Revolutionising retail

UK – A new report by Barclays indicates that shoppers are expecting more high-tech services from bricks-and-mortar stores.

Barclays : Phy-gital : Retail Experience

Big Ideas

Car-hire purchase

San Francisco – Toyota is trialling a new finance scheme that lets buyers rent out their car to help with payments.

Toyota : The Sharing Economy : Ride-share

Big Ideas

Do-It-Yourself wine

UK – Vinfusion aims to broaden consumers’ wine horizons by allowing them to create their own flavour combinations.

Countertop Culture : Vinfusion : Cambridge Consultants

Big Ideas

They’re worth it

Global – Ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) individuals may be the saviours of a faltering luxury sector.

Luxury Consumer : Luxury Futures : UHNWI

Big Ideas

Insta-shop

US – Instagram is evolving from a social media platform into a shopping destination with its new shoppable tags.

Instagram : Shopping Habits : E-commerce

Big Ideas

High performance

Global – The global downturn in sales of fashion goods is not affecting the growth of the athleisure category.

Athleisure : Global Fashion & Style : Womenswear

Big Ideas

The true price of fashion

US – Luxury fashion corporation Kering is launching a new app that helps new fashion designers to make sustainable choices.

Kering : Whole-system Thinking : Parsons School Of Design

Big Ideas

Social media mavericks

UK – Admiral Insurance’s plans to introduce discounts based on users’ social media profiles has been blocked by Facebook.

Facebook : Backlash Brands : Data Privacy

Big Ideas

Spending soars in China

China – Amid rising house prices and increased costs of living, Chinese Millennials are increasingly choosing to spend their earnings on experienti...

China : Chinese Millennials : Leisure

Big Ideas

Modern masculinity

UK – Some 49% of teenage boys do not feel comfortable talking to their fathers about their mental health, according to a new survey.

Male Positivity : Time To Change : Rethink Mental Illness

Big Ideas

Global Grad Show: Review

Bringing together 145 works from 50 design schools across 30 countries, this year’s Global Grad Show in Dubai was the largest show of its kind and ...

Global Grad Show : Dubai Design Week : The Dislocated World

Big Ideas

Sharing the love

UK – Nesta has released research that reveals the potential of using sharing economy platforms for philanthropic endeavours.

Uber : Airbnb : The Sharing Economy

Big Ideas

Dutch Design Week 2016: Review

Celebrating experimental approaches and speculative narratives, this year the annual festival in Eindhoven presented design as a tool for shaping f...

Dutch Design Week 2016 : Body Image : Transmedia Futures

Big Ideas

Not-so-hot bots

Global – A new study shows that despite the growing sophistication of artificial intelligence, consumers still value human interaction.

Chat Bots : Artificial Intelligence : Customer Service

Big Ideas

Faster fashion

Global – The rising consumption of fast fashion across the globe is putting additional strain on the environment.

Fast Fashion : Apparel : Sustainability

Big Ideas

The ideas and innovations that hint at the future of the consumer landscape