Introducing  

future frame

Our solution provides structured guidance for visualizing different aspects of students’ lives, while also encouraging freedom and creativity, fostering connections with the people around them.
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A SOLUTION THAT SPANS FROM DIGITAL TO PHYSICAL

An MHCI student holding her vision board
Multiple students working on their vision boards
Our solution is highly flexible, allowing educators to easily engage with a low-tech version that  centers around our structured guidance across 5 question areas. These questions encourage genuine self-reflection and can be used in physical vision boarding activities, making it accessible and adaptable for various educational environments.

THE POWER OF VISION

WHAT IS VISION?

A vision is a vivid, picture-like mental representation of a desirable, long-term future state.
Starry eyes
Evoked vision, which is different from merely thinking of a goal, fosters enhanced motivation, performance, and readiness for change. Furthermore, visions become more meaningful when they reflect an individual's values and identity, which reinforces commitment and progress toward a goal.
Julian Voigt, Kennon M. Sheldon, Hugo M. Kehr. When visions truly inspire: The moderating role of self-concordance in boosting positive affect, goal commitment, and goal progress. Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 109, 2024.

HOW ARE WE USING IT?

Vision boards are a flexible and creative method to help adolescents articulate their goals and aspirations through visual media. They are particularly useful for those from low socioeconomic status backgrounds who may face barriers to career possibilities.
Vision boards can help counselors support students' career and college readiness by promoting self-reflection and identity exploration.
Julian Voigt, Kennon M. Sheldon, Hugo M. Kehr. When visions truly inspire: The moderating role of self-concordance in boosting positive affect, goal commitment, and goal progress. Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 109, 2024.
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TRIED & TESTED

Future Frame gives students a better idea of their identities and goals.
Future Frame helps students relate their personal identities and goals to school.

GIVING STUDENTS A BETTER IDEA OF IDENTITIES AND GOALS

When we asked a student to describe their identity before the vision boarding activity, they said "sleep" and "unpassionate." However, gathering images revealed new insights, and arranging them encouraged them to connect their interests and values. After the activity, their perspective had shifted, and they felt "uncertain but hopeful.” It helped them understand what they like and why, giving them a more profound sense of self.
An example vision board

HELPING students relate personal identities and goals to school

Conversations with teachers and counselors are a crucial touch point in students’ decision-making about their courses and beyond. Before Future Frame, these conversations were like interviews, with teachers asking questions and students giving short answers. Future Frame put students in the driver’s seat instead. This shift allowed teachers to gain deeper insight into students' goals and motivations. It also helped uncover aspects of student identity that teachers wouldn't normally explore, such as cultural background. Future Frame empowers students and opens up new opportunities for teachers to challenge and support them in meaningful ways.
A student in the driver's seat of a car

THE POWER OF VISION

August - September / Upcoming Year Planning

August - September
Use Case 1: Set Intentions For New Year
We begin in September when the school year has just started. This is a great time to use Future Frame to think about what clubs, activities, or competitions would best fit a student’s interests. Juniors and seniors can also prepare to have in-depth conversations with adults about post-secondary plans by using the Future Frame board as an artifact to help talk about those topics. Further, incoming ninth grade students can use Future Frame for the first time, helping them introduce themselves to their new community.

May - June / Senior Exit Interview

Throughout The Year
Use Case 2: Telling Personal Story In Applications and Interviews
Outside of high school walls, the Future Frame also helps students tell their personal stories in applications and interviews for their goals throughout the year. By completing a vision board using Future Frame, students will have a more holistic understanding of self and be more confident in describing their interests and intents to others.

Reflecting on the past year can pair with senior exit interviews, where final year students look back to their entire high school experience and reflect on how far they’ve come, how much they’ve grown, and how they can apply everything they learned in high school to their next steps.

January - March / Course Planning

January - March
Use Case 3: Plan Course Schedule
Of course the most obvious use case for Future Frame is planning for the upcoming year. Around January, students can start or revisit their vision boards in our to plan next year’s courses. They can start to think about their goals and interests and which courses best align. Beyond individual planning, conversations between teachers and peers are a key touchpoint where students get support in decision-making, and even expand their horizons. And as we saw, Future Frame could enhance these interactions both through the self-understanding gained through the activity, and the artifact of the vision board itself.

Throughout / Reflect + Describe Goals

May - June
Use Case 4: Reflect on Experiences and Describe Goals
Fast forwarding to May, and many students are preparing to graduate or enjoy summer break. During this time, Future Frame can help students reflect on experiences and goals from the past year or past few years. Students can look back at all of their experiences and achievements and think about how they might want next year to look and to see all of their achieved goals. Reflecting on the past year can pair with Senior Exit Interviews, where final year students can look back to their entire high school experience and reflect on how far they’ve come, how much they’ve grown, and how they can apply everything they learned in high school to their next steps.

TRY THE SOLUTION AT HOME

Our solution is effective yet easy to use! No prior knowledge of counseling children is needed. It should be an organic, natural dialogue when sharing and discussing vision boards with others.

To help you get started, here are our guided prompts to start the vision boarding process.

Steps to make a Vision Board

Gather Images: Gather images or make drawings that fit the 5 categories: where & how I want to live, hobbies & interests, people around me, what makes me proud, and dream jobs.

You can use our guided prompts below for inspiration about what kind of images to find.

Where & How I Want To Live

  • What kind of lifestyle do you want to live?
  • Where do you want to live?
  • What will an ideal day in your life be like? What activities would you do?
  • Will you live somewhere more urban or more rural?
  • Do you enjoy nature?

What I Want To Do For Work

  • What kind of projects do you want to contribute to?
  • What causes do you want to contribute to?
  • What kind of impact do you want to have with your work?
  • How do you want to feel at the end of your work day?
  • What kinds of people do you want to work with?
  • What do you want to be known for in the workplace?
  • What role do you want to play in a group?
  • What tools or equipment do you want to use?
  • What environments do you want to work in?

What Makes Me Proud

  • Imagine yourself at graduation and after high school. What achievements and experiences would make you feel proud?

People Around Me

  • What kind of people do you want around you?
  • Who will you go to for advice or support?
  • Who do you want to hangout with?
  • What are some personal values that you care about?

My Hobbies and Interests

  • What do you want to do for fun?
  • What skills do you want to learn?
  • Are there any new challenges or experiences you'd like to pursue for personal growth?
Make Connections: After finding all your images, arrange them on your board in groups, a timeline, or in any way that makes sense to you. Try to make connections between the images.
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Please feel free to write any words or draw any lines or arrows to help organize.
Share & Describe Your Board: This step is optional, but we encourage users to share their board with someone close in order to get support in completing their goals or finding new perspectives and helpful resources.

Please share only what you feel comfortable with! It is not necessary to share everything on your board.
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The South Fayette x MHCI client report, volume 2

FINAL CLIENT REPORT (VOLUME 2)

The Final Client Report provides a look into our team's design process. Through multiple iterations, we explored, tested, and refined our approaches, ultimately arriving at a final solution that enhances student engagement and decision-making.
CHECK OUT THE DIGITAL BOOKLET
Research Solution About Us Blog
Team South Fayette 2024