The concept of speculative design was not known to me before, but I was highly intrigued by the content covered in the lecture. In an age where technology advances so quickly, I feel it is more important now than ever to design ahead for problems we foresee in the future.
I also enjoyed the group task of designing an intervention to bring people into the classroom as we move into a future of hybrid learning. We considered two possible solutions, which were changing the space into a design focused social hub, where students could come to discuss ideas, or post their work on screens around the room for feedback and user testing. The second idea was to utilise the room for development of larger scale projects which use the space as an interface, like AR projects.
I researched the conceptual development of Al Baydha, a tribal village in Saudi Arabia. I feel this is a useful example of how speculative design can be used to solve real world issues, as to people without design experience, it may seem like a waste of time as the solutions can’t be implemented in the current time. Results are already beginning to show in the village, as the land becomes more fertile, thanks to the developments predicted by future focused designers, a testament to the utility and practicality of speculative design.
Article about the Al Baydha redevelopment- https://experimental.design/work/al-baydha
1- Smart home community
The home is connected to a smart infrastructure, which would allow users to rent robots and smart appliances for periods of time, where they may be more expensive to own permanently. It would also include an autonomous vehicle service that would transport users within the smart city. Power would also be generated through movement within buildings with energy generating tiles, and excess power would be shared throughout the smart city. Users could also connect with other homes to play games and engage in activities using their home as an interface. There would also be communal security robots, which could dispatch help if your home is endangered.
Smart energy tiles- https://www.pavegen.com/
Smart infrastructure- https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/smart-infrastructure
2- Smart home decoration
The lens allows users to decorate their home within the digital space, which they would see in their lens as if it was reality. This would allow users without enough income to decorate their home according to their preferred style to enjoy the home they envisage themselves to have. Other users with the smart lens would also be able to view others’ home decorations as they have designed it in the digital space. The lens could also control household appliances using gestures.
This could also be implemented in a different way, using furniture, walls and ceilings with screens, the user could use gestures to change the appearance of these screens, allowing them to easily customise their home at any time. These screens could also be used as interfaces for control of smart home features.