DESIGN FUTUREVERSE: INTEGRATING SOCIAL VR IN DESIGN EDUCATION

In an era defined by rapid technological advancement and complex global challenges, design education must evolve to equip students with the critical, creative, and anticipatory skills needed to shape sustainable futures. This paper presents Design Futureverse, an innovative didactic experiment integrating Virtual Reality (VR) and Spatial social platform to enhance design students' creative potential and promote a hybrid learning methodology. Design Futureverse creates interactive virtual environments where students explore speculative futures, collaborate on design projects, and develop future-oriented mindsets. The project operates on three levels: individual, team, and process, offering personalized learning experiences, fostering teamwork, and enhancing storytelling and communication through immersive speculative environments. This study examines the potential of VR to bridge the gap between abstract design concepts and tangible experiences, demonstrating how immersive technologies and hybrid didactics can transform design education. The findings suggest that while VR can significantly enhance engagement and creative thinking, challenges related to workload and balancing physical and virtual components remain. Design Futureverse offers a promising model for the future of educational methodologies, contributing to a deeper understanding of how VR and hybrid learning can prepare the next generation of designers to navigate and shape uncertain futures.