https://medium.com/@winshanokprasith/speculative-design-thinking-about-the-future-in-times-of-uncertainty-b593e2ca11b6

Speculative design was created by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby in the 1990s; this explores the possibilities of products, systems and services. This is different from traditional design as it questions the potential societal impacts rather than solving immediate problems. The future cone model made by Stuart Candy puts futures into categories, which include probable, plausible and possible, with speculative design focusing on preferable futures without solutions.

Speculative design is seen in film, exhibitions, photography and conceptual sketches. Examples of these

• black mirrors - Nosedive - social media-driven status systems
• Jaemin Paiks - When We All Live to 150 - questions the future of family structures
• Superflux song of the machine - enhancements for disabilities
• Ettore Sottsass micro-environment - minimalist communal living spaces

Speculative design is based on logic, research and the possibilities. This is a tool for critical thinking and discussion; this will encourage the public to question the long-term effects - technological and societal changes - unlike science fiction or art.

Black Mirror and Speculative Design

https://jarrettfuller.com/projects/blackmirror

This article is a deep dive into black mirrors and how they tie to speculative design, critical thinking and design fiction. This show goes beyond dystopian tech fears; this show highlights how humans misuse technology rather than technology itself being evil or taking over. This show explores the dark side of technology through near-future scenarios. It critiques modern society by twisting familiar technology. This article suggested the book by the creators of speculative design ( Speculative Everything 2013), so I want to have a deeper dive into this, as this book argues design is more than product creation; it can shape ideas and redefine reality.

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Speculative Everything (2013) - by Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby

• Speculative design explores alternative futures and possibilities.
• Designers create visions for future scenarios, not just to solve current problems around the world
• The purpose of this type of design is that it provoke thought, discussion, and reflection about the future.
• There are many ethical concerns and the impact of design choices.
• Explores both utopian and dystopian possibilities, which I explored in my A-level art.
• Speculative design uses narratives and world-building to present ideas.- Aoife from the future, Alex’s talk was very important in speculative design and world building and gave me a deeper understanding
• Combines design with philosophy, sociology, and science fiction. </aside>

https://medium.com/@sarah-housley/dystopia-as-default-how-black-mirror-influenced-tech-futures-c23f4b0a3d8f

black mirror began in 2011, 4 years after the iPhone was launched

• black Mirror began in 2011, which was 4 years after the iPhone launched, the same year that Facebook introduced the timeline
• black mirror received black in the first season, and there was scepticism around technology and the dystopian use of technology
• The most popular episodes are made of imagination around ideas like social tracking and VR, and AI recreations of human personalities
• black mirror came about when speculative design was becoming increasingly popular, and more designers were using it and creating futuristic visions
• People's eyesight, which is the digital eyes that are on the outside of the vision process, has been derived as that's so black mirror and also Google pixels best take features, which uses AI to switch similar faces onto a composite photo, replacing yeh people's faces that are not smiling

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I had never heard of speculative design before this week, so it was fun to take a further look into it. I found it interesting to see how design can be used to question the future and spark conversations, rather than just solve current problems. I also watched a few Black Mirror episodes, which helped me understand how design can explore the impact of technology.

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Week 5 - Alex McDowell