I recently shared a series of doodles exploring a simple question: What if the way we live today isn’t the best way?
This post is a behind-the-scenes of how those ideas came together and the systems they’re trying to challenge.
The first few slides explore isu semasa (current issues) we often accept as “normal.”
Take the recent fuel shortages, for example. A significant portion of fuel consumption comes from personal transport. If fewer people needed to commute daily, fuel demand could be reduced and redirected towards more critical sectors like agriculture and logistics. So if we reduce this, we can ensure prolonged supply to keep our economy going!
Beyond work, urban design plays a huge role in how resources are used.
Concepts like 15-minute cities (where daily needs are within walking or cycling distance) reduce reliance on fuel.
Instead of designing cities around cars, we design them around people.
This also led me to the Doughnut Economic Model which is a framework that balances human needs with planetary boundaries. Why is there so few people talking and working towards this?
Another idea for the business: today, riders often have to park, rush into stores, and collect orders manually from the counter. What if robots could transport items from the kitchen directly to a drive-through collection point, where riders remain on their vehicles.
Then of course I covered the concept of overconsumption. But let's not put all the blame on consumers, overproduction plays a huge role. We are producing wayyyy to much!
There were also a few ideas that didn’t make it into the final post mostly because I couldn’t quite get AI to capture what I had in mind. One of them was about how we think about space.
It feels like we’ve been conditioned to believe that “more space” means expanding our homes.
Personally, I’ve always loved the idea of yards and garden spaces. If I had a landed home, I’d probably keep the outdoor space. They absorb rainwater, cool the space, and quietly bring life back. Butterflies, birds, even the occasional grasshopper!
Then this one, it's probably one I have to redo a few times. The concept is technology can create more inclusive ways of working. For example, people with disabilities (PWD) could operate delivery robots remotely from home.
Problem is, the first few drafts unintentionally made it look like being overworked to their deathbed (karoshi) instead of the person being a PWD... Like, omaigawd...
Then I had AI draw this and honestly, it’s pretty close to what I see almost every day *cry as corp slave*
In an ideal world, AI should make our lives better and in many ways, it already does. What feels unfun is how it’s sometimes being used as a convenient justification for layoffs.
The issue isn’t the technology itself, but the incentives and decisions behind how it’s used.
At the same time, the rapid proliferation of AI also has negative environmental impact, something we don’t talk about enough.
What a time to live in! I say this a lot as a millenial but omg, does it hits differently. Every. Single. Time.
These are just some of my random thoughtslah. I do think we need to questioning what we accept as "norms". Maybe it's time we rethink and overhaul things.
After all, everything is changing even the stars (if you follow astrology).
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