Speculative design: crafting the speculation

Abstract: This article explores the potential of speculative methodologies to help reimagine and reenergize elements of healthcare and hospital design. It examines the intellectual and clinical heritages of bricolage in French thought, before mobilizing dialogues between bricolage and speculative design methodologies, such as design fiction. A cross-fertilization of bricolage and speculative design, we propose, opens up creative, playful, and critical spaces for the reappropriation of the material assemblages of healthcare environments. Whereas bricolage is often conceived of as an emergency 'make-do' measure, we propose that bricolage , brought into contact with speculative design methods, can deliver pragmatic tools for reimagining healthcare futures.

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the viability of Speculative Design in the creation of Service Design prototypes. Specifically, how speculative prototypes can facilitate participants' dialogue regarding their genuine visions. Second, this paper examines the performance of seven different speculative prototypes in a single carbon neutrality project in order to elaborate on the necessary characteristics of a speculative prototype. Our findings indicate that it is advantageous to create a service design prototype using Speculative Design. We argue that policymakers and governments can use Speculative Design to increase citizen engagement and collective imagination in projects such as carbon neutrality. In addition, Speculative Design facilitates the transition from facilitator to provocateur for the service designer. Not only does Speculative Design fill participants with imagination and energy, but it also provides designers with continuous energy, which can promote continuous learning among designers and stakeholders.

This review paper explores the evolving relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and speculative design. Through a literature review analyzing ten case studies, this paper highlights the nuances of using AI-driven tools in envisioning speculative futures. The paper investigates how AI influences speculative design approaches to identify the benefits, limitations, and potential challenges when combining the two. The results are presented according to the three most prominent themes identified across the ten articles: using AI for image generation, perceived accessibility of AI, and using AI to envision future scenarios. While using AI to automate parts of the design process is perceived as a significant benefit, some also regard the results produced by AI as uninspiring and needing more contextual factors. This is addressed in the discussion section, focusing on the challenges of AI-generated images. Lastly, this paper discusses the ambiguous terminology used about speculative design and what implications this could have for future research.

This Case Study paper presents the first exploration of Speculative Design as a participatory democracy method for navigating the future of ageing in Malaysia. Speculative Design in the context of Global South is emerging, but without much data on how it is applied within different socio-economic conditions from the Global North countries. This Case Study considers the challenges and opportunities of employing Speculative Design as policy identification and development method from the context of Malaysia, a Global South country with its own unique characteristics. The paper concludes by suggesting that the novelty of Speculative Design as a policy-design approach in Global South countries, such as in Malaysia, requires the right selection of provocations and culturally familiar content to ease introduction of the methodology. Also, the efficacy of this approach as a participatory design application would require further enculturation within targeted communities, as well as sustained engagement through Champions.

This article and the design fictions it presents are bound up with an ongoing qualitative-ethnographic study with Imazighen, the native people in remote Morocco. This group of people is marked by textual and digital illiteracy. We are in the process of developing multi-modal design fictions that can be used in workshops as a starting point for the co-development of further design fictions that envision the local population's desired digital futures. The design fictions take the form of storyboards, allowing for a non-textual engagement. The current content seeks to explore challenges, potentials, margins, and limitations for the future design of haptic and touch-sensitive technology as a means for interpersonal communication and information procurement. Design fictions provide a way of exposing the locals to possible digital futures so that they can actively engage with them and explore the bounds and confines of their literacy and the extent to which it matters.

The Illegal Town Plan aims to understand and develop community- based futures for economic and social development. This case study describes and analyses an ongoing practice-based research project that began in 2015. The project, ambitious in its scope, has engaged with communities that have been stripped of power to develop and present new visions of their hometown. Located in Rhyl, North Wales, the design team has developed strategies, ideas, and possibilities with the people who rejected a European future. This project proposes a form of economic, architectural, and design speculation that aims to reimagine regeneration in a post-BREXIT Britain. The case study questions how we, as designers, evolve and develop processes and practices, popularised through the evolution of Critical and Speculative Design (CSD), to think through alternative social, political, and economic futures. The project utilises open, interdisciplinary, and diverse dialogues with the intention of building a heightened notion of engagement and agency. We hope to demonstrate practices that allow speculation to become democratised away from the gallery and into the world. Through conversation with two politicians, the authors were confronted by a growing realisation that there was a deep problem at the heart of regional development. There was a gap, a schism, between the community and those tasked with the future of their economic prosperity. For the last four years, we’ve been trying to support the people of Rhyl to bridge this gap. As a form of participatory speculation, this project aims to build a new language and discourse of speculation in which underrepresented voices become key to the ambitions of a small town and where the outlier is valued for opening alternatives. There have been many criticisms of critical and speculative design approaches in recent years. This project builds on nearly two decades of CSD experience (in both research and education) to imagine the evolution of the approach. Through a process of anecdotalisation, this case study gives four semi-fictional accounts of extraordinary moments that aim to give insight into the unseen process of an experimental design practice.

Arising from the complex relationship between their physical affordances, digital shadows, and interconnections, the things which make up the ‘Internet of Things’ (the IoT) present designers, users, and society at large, with a range of unique and as-yet-unfamiliar forms of network-contingent agency. These new design spaces engender new forms network anxiety, that in turn can result in a range of ill effects including overstimulation, information overload, and paranoia. Contemporary philosophies of technology provide a theoretical base with which designers can temper these emergent techno-anxieties with a sort of scholarly comfort blanket, however, closing the loop between such theories and design practice so that one explicitly informs the other remains a rarely-tackled and elusive challenge within design research. To help explore how designers may underpin their practice with philosophical foundations, in this paper we recount our own experience of conducting an IoT-based Speculative Design project. This research attempts to encode, enact, and express ideas derived from a contemporary philosophical movement—Object Oriented Ontology (OOO)—and ‘Carpenter’ those ideas into designed artefacts using the Design Fiction as World Building approach to Speculative Design. To ‘turn’ a physical material—wood, metal or plastic—means reshaping the material with a lathe to afford it a tangible elegance and grace. Metaphorically speaking, in this paper, OOO is our material and Design Fiction is our lathe, we reflect on the process of sculpting and carving theory, lending shape and poise to OOO through Design Fiction enabled Carpentry

This work open up a conversation about the opportunities that Science Fiction offers to Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and Design research. In doing so, first, it briefly challenges the term Design Fiction, an emerging concept with increasing popularity in HCI and Design research. Design Fictions are either, manifest design propositions, or intangible, imagined future interfaces, speculative interactions and would-be environments. Design Fictions as useful as they are, however, are not necessarily something new nor innovative in themselves. Speculative design and evaluation methods all have been staple methods of Computer Science research since the establishment of HCI as a discrete field sometime in the 1980s. Second, the paper proceeds to propose that the domain of Science Fiction could not only be useful, but rightly considered, as a legitimate field of creative inquire in HCI and Design education. By reframing the notion of Science Fiction from an ‘anecdotal gimmick’ toward an ‘area of study’ a novel, wide-ranging space for design inspiration, ingenuity and creativity opens up for conceptual exploration. We believe that such an elevation of Science Fiction as a serious research topic has strong potential to inform the Computer Science, HCI and Design research application and education endeavours of the future.KeywordsComputer science research and educationDesign FictionSpeculative future studiesPopular culture in scienceScience Fiction

Rapid technological progression results in exciting new ways of interacting with our world whilst simultaneously limiting our experiences. Due to the pervasiveness of emerging technologies, designers are constantly faced with complexities and challenges, which necessitate the use of various tools and methodologies. This paper combines inspiration from the fields of aesthetics of interaction (Overbeek 1999), somaesthetics (Shusterman, 1999), design ethnography (Salvador, 1999), design fiction (Bleecker, 2009) and speculative design (Auger, 2013), to explore a designerly way of overcoming the complexity of implementing technologies into our daily life. We propose a holistic design approach to envision possibilities for emerging technology, integrating the physicality of human bodies with technological materiality. Further, we present a plausible narrative, containing visionary aspects and the investigated methodologies, alongside a series of design concepts that drive the storyline and form the basis for examining social implications, design and future contexts, and improving the way in which designers handle the limitations of a technology driven design approach.

Military architecture, which emerged in the Eastern Adriatic as an active battlefield between the 1460s and 1660s, was a revitalised response to the invention and use of firearms. At the same time, texts on military architecture became increasingly popular in Europe. This research focuses on the circulation, adaptation, and use of theoretical and practical fortification knowledge in the Eastern Adriatic under the Republics of Venice and Ragusa. It compares the formal characteristics of buildings, archival material, and treatises, and it also includes a terminological analysis of the sources, considering innovative technical terms as one of the main means of disseminating and applying knowledge. The first hypothesis suggests that Early Modern fortification architecture in the Eastern Adriatic depended on speculative designs by influential military experts. Unsubstantiated theories led to experimental and non-functional structures, marking a crucial point in the history of Eastern Adriatic fortifications. Moreover, in the perpetual state of war, the Eastern Adriatic fortifications directly witnessed changes in fortification science and served as a testing ground that validated hypotheses and shaped new theoretical solutions through practical experience. The third hypothesis proposes that the formulation of Croatian fortification terminology is rooted in insights from Early Modern military architecture, mainly influenced by Italian terminology. The comparison of theoretical instructions in treatises with architectural designs by Michelozzi in Dubrovnik, the Sanmicheli family workshop in Zadar, Giangirolamo Sanmicheli's fortress of St. Nicholas, and De Ville's project in Pula showed that the Eastern Adriatic fortifications directly reflected changes in fortification science. In the case of Zadar, new theoretical solutions were combined with practical changes. Giangirolamo's and De Ville's fortifications were interpreted as experimental structures. The example of Dubrovnik and the case study of besieged fortresses in Šibenik and Split were proven examples of the harmonisation of theory and practice.

Instructors – Get your examination copy now! Visit http://asmscience.org/instructors for more information. Help your students save on textbooks! Email us and receive a coupon to share with your students for 20% off of the purchase of a print copy. Brings the excitement, breadth, and power of the modern microbial sciences to the next generation of students and scientists. This new edition of Microbe is an eloquent and highly readable introduction to microbiology that will engage and excite science majors and pre-health professionals. The authors, all prominent scientists, have carefully crafted this lively narrative to bring key microbiology concepts to life and promote a lifelong passion for the microbial sciences. Far more than a comprehensive reference book, Microbe is replete with case studies, ranging from sauerkraut fermentation to the cholera outbreak in Haiti, that illustrate the impact of key microbiology concepts on real-world scenarios. To further engage students and deepen their understanding of both the principles and practice of science, each chapter includes multiple active learning exercises that encourage students to demonstrate their understanding and application of concepts, as well as video, spoken, and written resources. Questions are posed throughout the book to introduce the next key concept and to prompt students to actively participate in the learning experience. An equally valuable tool for instructors who teach a traditional lecture format and those who emphasize active learning in their classroom, Microbe integrates key concepts, learning outcomes, and fundamental statements directly from the ASM Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology Education. “This is a fantastic text! Written in a comfortable, conversational style, it grabs the readers’ attention immediately, sparking their curiosity and keeping them engaged throughout each chapter while they seek and find answers to questions posed at the beginning of each section. A true joy to read. I recommend it highly for both traditional and flipped classrooms.” --Peggy Cotter, PhD, Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, UNC School of Medicine Watch authors Michele Swanson and Elio Schaechter discuss the new Microbe, 2e during ASM Microbe 2016. Interested in purchasing this title as an electronic publication? Click here for the electronic version on Vital Source! Click here for the electronic version on RedShelf! Hardcover, 846 pages, full-color illustrations, index.

Since the 1960s, Postmodern architecture has been popular in Western societies. It emerged as a response to the Modernism style by rejecting the abstract elements of architecture and included a return to the communication of architectural meaning for the public. This approach led to the representation of architectural elements from the past and re-considered how culture was reflected in design. Postmodern architecture became popular in Thailand during the 1980s, resulting in the creation of numerous Postmodern buildings in all regions of the country. The objective of this article is to characterize Postmodern architecture in Thailand from 1982 to 1997 (2525–2540 B.E.) and demonstrate the value and importance of such architecture, which is deserving of preservation. The research process included a study of Postmodernism in Western societies; an examination of Postmodern architecture in Thailand through various documents; surveys of six case studies and analyzes of their key concepts and significant architectural characteristics. Based on seminal research led by Vimolsiddhi Horayangkura, Postmodern architecture in Thailand consists of four sub-styles: Historicism, Contextualism, Pluralism, and Behavioralism. These four sub-styles are used as a framework of analysis to re-evaluate both the classification and projects. The adoption of Historicism in the early stage of Postmodernism in Thailand was consistent with the economic prosperity of the middle class, which created a specific meaning for Thai society. The popularity of Postmodern style, particularly Historicism, declined and paralleled with the economic crisis in 1997. The architecture field thus began to focus more on promoting Thai identity or Thai-ness, with which the other three sub-styles were integrated and continued. After reviewing the six building case studies, it was concluded that Postmodern architecture in Thailand has some outstanding key concepts, including Historic Preservation, Historical Allusion, Contextual Linkage, Placemaking, Double-Coding Composition, Eclectic Composition, Specific Signification, and Lifestyle Pattern as Organization. These key concepts reveal interrelation among the four sub-styles and prove that each architectural project cannot be labelled with one sub-style. They also demonstrate the adaptation to the context and way of life of the pluralistic Thai society.

Building Blocks of Society: History, Information Ecosystems, and Infrastructures

Back to table of contents Next article Book ReviewsFull AccessPreventing Patient Suicide: Clinical Assessment and ManagementJeffrey L. Geller, M.D., M.P.H., and Jeffrey L. Geller, M.D., M.P.H., Jeffrey L. GellerSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., M.P.H., and Jeffrey L. GellerSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., M.P.H., EditorPublished Online:1 Apr 2013https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.640404AboutSectionsPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail by SimonRobert I., M.D.; Washington, D.C., American Psychiatric Publishing, 2011, 235 pages, $57Robert Simon and American Psychiatric Publishing have compiled Simon’s writings on suicide prevention with high heuristic value. All but three of the 13 chapters are previously published articles or chapters by Simon, which contributes to the major weakness of the book—it’s quite repetitive.Each chapter in Preventing Patient Suicide is organized for easy learning. Chapters include tables and figures that capture the essence of the material quite well. Illustrative case examples are included that put a face on the clinical material. Each chapter concludes with a summary of the contents, and each chapter ends with “key clinical concepts” that are the chapter’s take-home messages. The key clinical concepts sections are filled with fundamental truisms we all tend to forget—for example, “The severity of suicide risk is dimensional and dynamic, constantly governed by changing risk and protective factors. Thus, suicide risk assessment is a process, not an event.”The book is also filled with clinical pearls not included in the key clinical concepts sections, so skimming through the book for just the key clinical concepts deprives the reader of much practical information that can influence one’s practice. Simon stresses that the transition from chronic suicide risk to acute suicide risk can be “gradual and nuanced or alarmingly rapid.” He reminds us that the assessment of a guarded suicidal patient needs to include collateral contacts if possible. Simon points out that patients on one-to-one observation or 15-minute checks should not be discharged from these statuses but should be given a trial period after suicide precautions have been discontinued.Simon has a humanistic view of doctors, nurses, and others who deal regularly with suicidal patients. He highlights that “Distinguishing suicidal patients whose improvement is illusory from patients who are actually improving is one of the most difficult evaluations that psychiatrists must undertake.” He recognizes that “high-volume admissions of acutely suicidal patients place a heavy burden on inpatient staffs.” And he admonishes the clinician to “not worry alone”—get a consultation.Simon addresses the controversial “suicide prevention contract.” He reminds the reader that such contracts can never take the place of adequate suicide risk assessments and that one can never rely on such a contract with a new, unknown patient. And in much the same vein, he cautions against the use of unaided assessment forms and checklists.Simon homes in on myths about suicide. Perhaps one of the more dangerous myths is that “passive suicide is a subset of suicidal ideation that is less severe and thus reflects a lower risk of suicide.” Much the same warning is provided for “fleeting” suicidal ideation.Simon provides all manner of useful tips concerning risk management. One of particular note is his warning against using “true emergency” messages on an answering machine. Simon opines that this is “worse than useless; it is irrelevant and gratuitous.” And finally, “The royal road to therapeutic risk management passes through good patient care, not veering off into a detour of self-defeating defensive practices.”So, first purchase this book. Second, keep it handy in your office. Don’t read it cover to cover, but read a chapter here and there. Consult this book when confronted by a suicidal patient. In fairly short order, your copy of Preventing Patient Suicide should be ragged and dog-eared from frequent use.Dr. Geller, who is the book review editor, is facility medical director, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, and professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester.The reviewer reports no competing interests. FiguresReferencesCited byDetailsCited ByNone Volume 64Issue 4 April 2013Pages e01-e01 Metrics The reviewer reports no competing interests.PDF download History Published online 1 April 2013 Published in print 1 April 2013

Explicit risk management is gaining ground in industrial software development projects. However, there are few empirical studies that investigate the transfer of explicit risk management into industry, the adequacy of the risk management approaches to the constraints of industrial contexts, or their cost-benefit. This paper presents results from a case study that introduced a systematic risk management method, namely the Riskit method, into a large German telecommunication company. The objective of the case study was (1) to analyze the usefulness and adequacy of the Riskit method and (2) to analyze the cost-benefit of the Riskit method in this industrial context. The results of (1) also aimed at improvement and customization of the Riskit method. Moreover, we compare our findings with results of previous case studies to obtain more generalized conclusions on the Riskit method. Our results showed that the Riskit method is practical, adds value to the project, and that its key concepts are understood and usable in practice. Additionally, many lessons learned are reported that are useful for the general audience who wants to transfer risk management into new projects.