Method has launched an exploratory research project on the future of money using an insights-led approach to speculative design based on the concept that money is pervasive and integral to the majority of our experiences. Recent changes in the financial landscape – from mobile payments to peer-to-peer lending and the rise of local and crypto currencies – mean that now is the time to take a critical perspective on the future of money and the interactions that we will have with it. The project used trend analysis and ethnographic research to inspire future scenarios based on three questions: If finances were public, would you change? If money were smart, would it have personality? If behavior is hormonal, should financial services monitor the body? Method ultimately sought to bring the future into the present and create social experiments in which possible futures could be lived and experienced to stimulate critical discussion.

Rethinking a product that is not necessarily a product, a service that is not necessarily a service, and a tradition of interaction that is not only physical, but highly emotional, lays the framework for an immense challenge. Method’s research project on money was able to break down the ways people in the present and in the future will interact with their financial landscape. The capacity to blend practicality, commerce and highly physiological concepts into forward-thinking design strategies is the result of months of research into behavior and the body’s ability to influence decision-making. The human relationship with money provides a fascinating look into how UX design can change the way we look at money, and our spending habits for future generations.