Speculative Design
Designing multiple possible futures
Speculative Design, Foresight, and Design Fiction are design practices that use research to find signals of potential future change which are then used to create snapshots of possible future scenarios.
These scenarios and artefacts generate ideas for innovation and can be used to test the future impacts of decisions made today, explore potential future needs, and prompt innovation.
Video introductions
Phil balagtas’ excellent introduction
Phil Balagtas is a well-known futurist and founder of the Design Futures Initiative.
Watch his fascinating and informative introduction to speculative design
Speculative AND life-centred design
In this talk with Woolies X design team, I shared the benefits and application of speculative design and foresight for designing futures, and how they combine with 9 other practices in life-centred design.
Reading
Introductions
Light-hearted articles on Medium for a fun introduction to speculative design:
- Future Thieving #1 ↗—Stealing from the future with speculative design
- Future Thieving #2 ↗—Speculative design methods and tools
- 6 reasons ↗ why designers should design for Science Fiction
- Designing alternate futures ↗ with speculative design
tools & practice
Articles about some foundational futures tools to start experimenting
- 3 futurist’s tools designers can use today ↗
- Tools to invent better futures ↗
- The Futures Pixel↗—a tool for mindful design
Design your own speculative futures
A fun and practical step-by-step guide to designing life-centred, values-driven technology with speculative design.
#1 Amazon New Release in Industrial Design, Feb ’21
