Speculative Design
Speculative Design
Explore alternative realities by envisioning unconventional possibilities and challenging preconceptions about the present and futures
Explore alternative realities by envisioning unconventional possibilities and challenging preconceptions about the present and futures
What is it?
What is it?
Speculative Design is a field of design that utilises design to provoke and imagine possible futures. Rather than using design to solve immediate problems and create market-ready products, speculative design narrates, visualise and concretise alternative worlds that challenge assumptions, explore tensions, and expand what we believe is possible.
Speculative Design is a field of design that utilises design to provoke and imagine possible futures. Rather than using design to solve immediate problems and create market-ready products, speculative design narrates, visualise and concretise alternative worlds that challenge assumptions, explore tensions, and expand what we believe is possible.
"It is impossible to continue with the methodology employed by the visionary designers of the 1960s and 1970s. We live in a very different world now but we can reconnect with that spirit and develop new methods appropriate for today's world and once again begin to dream.”
"It is impossible to continue with the methodology employed by the visionary designers of the 1960s and 1970s. We live in a very different world now but we can reconnect with that spirit and develop new methods appropriate for today's world and once again begin to dream.”
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming
Why Speculative Design?
Why Speculative Design?
In the context of climate crisis, emerging and unregulated technology, global pandemics, and political conflicts, lives change faster than our abilities to reflect. Speculative designers bring assumptions to the surface, critique dominant narratives, and prototype the futures that challenge the status quo. They create a space to question and challenge assumptions about the present and future.
Speculative Design's primary purpose is not to predict the future but to open up discussions about what kind of futures are possible, probable, or preferable. By making abstract concepts tangible through artifacts and narratives, speculative design helps us:
Question current practices and values
Explore the societal, ethical, and environmental implications of new technologies
Spark public debate and collective imagination about alternative future
In the context of climate crisis, emerging and unregulated technology, global pandemics, and political conflicts, lives change faster than our abilities to reflect. Speculative designers bring assumptions to the surface, critique dominant narratives, and prototype the futures that challenge the status quo. They create a space to question and challenge assumptions about the present and future.
Speculative Design's primary purpose is not to predict the future but to open up discussions about what kind of futures are possible, probable, or preferable. By making abstract concepts tangible through artifacts and narratives, speculative design helps us:
Question current practices and values
Explore the societal, ethical, and environmental implications of new technologies
Spark public debate and collective imagination about alternative future
Key principles
Key principles
Critical thinking
Speculative Design involves rigorously questioning the status quo. Methods such as Causal Layered Analysis are used to uncover underlying values and myths beneath the behavioural surface.
Speculative Design involves rigorously questioning the status quo. Methods such as Causal Layered Analysis are used to uncover underlying values and myths beneath the behavioural surface.
Futures (plural)
The goal of Speculative Design is never to predict a future, but to communicate multiple possibilities. Speculative Design resists deterministic narratives and embraces uncertainty.
The goal of Speculative Design is never to predict a future, but to communicate multiple possibilities. Speculative Design resists deterministic narratives and embraces uncertainty.
Imagination as method
Through methods like world-building, scenario development, and speculative ethnography, Speculative Design explore the "what if" possibilities. Speculative designers weave narratives to provoke emotional and intellectual conversations about unfamiliar futures.
Through methods like world-building, scenario development, and speculative ethnography, Speculative Design explore the "what if" possibilities. Speculative designers weave narratives to provoke emotional and intellectual conversations about unfamiliar futures.
Design as a question
Speculative design provokes discomfort and wonder. Artifacts are often uncanny and meant to generate critical dialogue rather than functional interaction.
Speculative design provokes discomfort and wonder. Artifacts are often uncanny and meant to generate critical dialogue rather than functional interaction.
Interdisciplinary collaboration
Speculative Designers often work with experts from other fields such as ecology, sociology, and economics. The collaboration helps designers detangle complex systemic challenges as well as enriches the narrative.
Speculative Designers often work with experts from other fields such as ecology, sociology, and economics. The collaboration helps designers detangle complex systemic challenges as well as enriches the narrative.
Narratives as interface
Speculative Design use narratives and world-building to provoke responses and discussions. These carefully crafted stories invite the audience to imagine and relate to the futures for which the designers are communicating.
Speculative Design use narratives and world-building to provoke responses and discussions. These carefully crafted stories invite the audience to imagine and relate to the futures for which the designers are communicating.
A/B by Dunne & Raby
A/B by Dunne & Raby
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby introduced A/B as a conceptual framework to compare design frameworks. While A can be said to be closer to the "mainstream design practices", B is a conceptualisation of Speculative Design.
Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby introduced A/B as a conceptual framework to compare design frameworks. While A can be said to be closer to the "mainstream design practices", B is a conceptualisation of Speculative Design.
Read further in Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming
Read further in Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming
Notable works in Speculative Design
Notable works in Speculative Design
Further reading
Further reading
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
HOW TO CONDUCT AN ETHNOGRAPHY?
by Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby
by Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby
By Bruce M. Tharp and Stephanie M. Tharp
By Bruce M. Tharp and Stephanie M. Tharp
edited by Ivica Mitrović, James Auger, Julian Hanna, Ingi Helgason
edited by Ivica Mitrović, James Auger, Julian Hanna, Ingi Helgason
by Johanna Hoffmann
by Johanna Hoffmann
Have experience with this method?
Have experience with this method?
We welcome contributions from practitioners, researchers, and educators who’ve worked with this method in practice. Help expand our collective knowledge by sharing your perspective.
We welcome contributions from practitioners, researchers, and educators who’ve worked with this method in practice. Help expand our collective knowledge by sharing your perspective.
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