Designing for Luck: Building Serendipity Systems for an AI-Shaped World

90-minute workshop; part of a three-day Conference Ticket

In a world driven by algorithms and uncertainty, luck can feel obsolete—something that happens to us, not through us. This workshop reclaims luck as a designable skill. Participants will explore how to cultivate “smart serendipity” by noticing weak signals, crafting real options, and nurturing future opportunities instead of chasing them.

Using Rethink Next’s Amplified Self framework, we’ll blend foresight, behavioral science, and design thinking to help participants see where opportunity hides in everyday systems—especially within AI-shaped networks and data flows. Through three experiential tools—the Postcards from Possible Futures, the Real Options Canvas, and the Signal Garden (inspired by Mike Michalowicz’s The Pumpkin Plan)—attendees will map potential pivots, design low-risk experiments, and identify which ideas to prune, watch, or water next.