Experience Design disciplines today are facing old and new challenges. The new challenges potentially far surpass anything design disciplines have addressed so far.

Scientific and technological advancements are turning ideas that until recently were in the realm of science fiction, into reality. Virtual reality design, for example, is an emerging design specialty that is moving beyond games and entertainment, into areas such as education, medicine, and commerce:

• Self-driving cars: This introduces radical changes, not only to the way we are used to operating cars--driving them ourselves, but more importantly, what will this do to our emotional connection to our car, and to our sense of independence? Google has removed the steering wheel from its cars, and Uber is experimenting with a service model that makes owning a car a thing of the past.
• The Internet of Things: The notion that all devices are connected to the internet, passing data about the world and about us, constantly monitoring themselves, us, and the environment. What are the implications on experiences such as privacy, individualism, and creativity?
• The connected home: It is promising to let our dwelling run itself, taking over most tasks and decisions we currently perform in what we call home, tasks that to a great degree make us feel that we are in our home, will be performed by smart appliances and robots. Will the home become a sterile pod of existence controlled remotely by companies that manufacture intelligent products?