At institutions of higher-education, our responsibility is to provide methods to achieve innovative and appropriately designed man-made solutions. It is paramount to the young designers and engineers of the future that we impart the methods and experiences in a setting that allows grand, but realistic, ideas to evolve. Specific environments, elements, actors, and ingredients all play a part in forecasting the next paradigm shift in new product solutions. The following case study uses three different collaborative industry projects and product categories: a material supplier, an automotive company, and a toy company. A blend of mega trends research, traditional literature reviews, behavioral research methods, and qualitative action research methods provide a basis for informed design decisions to attain appropriate innovative results in an academic setting. This paper will provide a tested methodology for forecasting and delivering conceptual design solutions to a range of problem sets.