What is Speculative Design?

Speculative design is a design approach that explores possible, probable, plausible or preferable futures to question today’s assumptions, spark discussion and inspire new ways of thinking. Instead of solving an immediate problem, it creates scenarios, artefacts and narratives from imagined futures to help people reflect, debate and rethink what kind of future is desirable.

Possible: It makes links between today’s world and the suggested one. They should be scientifically possible and there should be a path from today to where we are in the scenario.

Preferable: Not predicting the future but using design to explore possibilities that can be discussed, debated and used to collectively define a preferable future for a given group of people: from companies, to cities, to societies.

Probable: This describes what is likely to happen unless there is some extreme upheaval such as a financial crash, eco disaster or war.

Plausible: It is not about prediction bu texploring alternative economic and political futures to ensure an organisation will be prepared for and thrive in a number of different futures.

Why is Speculative Design Important?

Speculative design helps us as designers to explore, question, and shape possible future instead of only reacting to them. It can be used as not only a problem solving tool but also for critical thinking, imagination and discussion about where society, technology and culture might be headed in the future.

Here are the key reasons why speculative design matters:

• Encourages imagination

• Shapes innovation

• Challenges norms

• Prepare and adapt us to change

How Do We Practice It?

• Identify a Future Concern – Think about trends in AI, climate change, biotech, etc.
• Ask “What If?” Questions – Example: What if AI could make laws instead of politicians?
• Create Future Scenarios – Develop a fictional world with its own logic.
• Design Artifacts & Prototypes – Make speculative products, posters, films, or stories.
• Engage in Discussion – Use speculative design to provoke critical conversations.

World Building

Speculative Design & World-Building are closely connected as together, they allow designers to create immersive, believable visions of possible futures that help people imagine how life, culture and technology might evolve. They create detailed fictional worlds which have their own systems, cultures, technologies, and values as a way to explore “what if” scenarios about the future. It provides context for speculative artefacts or ideas and instead of presenting an isolated futuristic object, designers create a whole setting that explains why it exists, how it’s used, and what kind of society produced it.

One of the most famous examples of world building is the Harry Potter as it uses its own rules, history, geography, cultures and logic but still feels like an immersive place you could live. Harry Potter goes far beyond just telling a story as it essentially creates an entire magical world hidden within the ordinary one. It works so well as it reflects real world themes of prejudice, power, friendship but in a fantasy setting.

A speculative example of world building is the television franchise Black Mirror as each episode imagines a plausible near-future world shaped by emerging technologies and social behaviours. It uses speculative world building to construct believable future societies to question the ethical, cultural and emotional impacts of technology on our lives today and where technological advancements may take us into the future.