Definitions Of Speculative Design

‘What is speculative design from a practitioner’s point of view, really? James Auger provides one useful starting point: “Speculative design proposals are essentially tools for questioning. Their aim is therefore not to propose implementable product solutions, nor to offer answers to the questions they pose; they are intended to act like a mirror reflecting the role a specific technology plays or may play in each of our lives, instigating contemplation and discussion.”’(Auger, 2012) p73

Many individual practitioners define the term for themselves on an ad hoc basis. The members of Basel, Switzerland-based circumflex.studio, for example, provide a very clear definition of what speculative design means in their own work: “Speculative design should be an informed projection that brings into question the reality we ground this projection on. Informed means that it’s not about making up just any alternative future, present or past but grounding this speculation in prior knowledge, emerging tendencies, existing technologies, and human behaviours. Through creating an alternative reading – set in the future, present or past – the predominant reality is put into question and inherent biases are revealed. This is our very ideal understanding of speculative design.” (Büsse & Mitrokhov, 2019)p74

According to London-based designers Andrew Friend and Sitraka Rakotoniaina, “Speculative design ultimately allows us to think about what’s preferable, no matter what dystopian, utopian or particular lens a project may use as a vehicle” (Friend & Rakotoniaina, 2019). Similarly automato.farm calls speculative design “a great safe space … where it was ‘allowed’ to explore possibilities rather than problems, where we could create microworlds in a parallel present or near future and where you could still use the language and the materials of design, without tumbling into the world of art” (automato.farm, 2019) p74