In her Co-Lab talk, Lyric Metroplos (Senior Design Researcher at H-E-B Digital) makes a compelling case for adopting a “futures mindset” within design research.

Drawing on her unique background in fiber arts and strategic foresight, Lyric likens research insights to threads—individually delicate but capable of being woven into a fabric of long-term impact. She challenges design and research leaders to step into the role of futures thinkers, not just mapping the present but actively shaping preferred futures through intentional, systems-level change.

She introduces her C.U.T.E. framework—Culture, Utility, Technology, Environment—as a tool for identifying inflection points that can lead to meaningful transformation, using food insecurity in Texas as a powerful example.

Through techniques like scenario planning, Lyric urges researchers to help organizations widen their “option space,” plan for uncertainties, and co-create futures that serve generations to come. Ultimately, her talk is a call to action: don’t just react to change—be the one who weaves it.