This week we looked at speculative design, as we are currently in the process of deciding our idea for the final project I think this was a great lesson to get us thinking. We have had a class on this before, however it is nice to be refreshed not his idea and how we can implement that in our final project app idea.
I have taken a quote from School of Critical Design, which states a description of Speculative Design that I think explains it very well.
“Speculative Design explores future possibilities and societal impacts of emerging technology and shifting cultural and social trends, diverging from traditional design to provoke new thought, debate, directions, preferences, and strategy. “
Speculative Design is great for us designers as we can test our skills on problem solving to an extreme extent. Speculative Design helps us broaden our minds and expand our imagination to the world of design, therefore can push ourselves past our boundaries. We can question social, political and ethical implications of emerging tech, preparing us for change in possible design futures.
In many cases, speculative design has been the starting point of many successful projects such as an extreme cases, AkonCity. Curated by the famous RnB singer Akon, a city inspired by Wakanda, the name of the fictional African kingdom where the superhero movie Black Panther by Marvel is set. This city was to be launched in Senegal, where Akon is from.
A quote taken from Medium says the futuristic city will include , “parks, universities, schools, a hospital, a stadium, hotels, as well as an industrial complex. The city will also operate exclusively with the Akoin crypto-currency. The first phase of the project has already started, and will result in the construction of roads, the main buildings, a landfill and a photovoltaic solar power plant by 2024. Akon City is expected to be completed in 2029.” This idea was brought to life in “aims at setting a new standard for all future real estate development. The city, with its distinctive futuristic architecture and design, will be divided in seven different districts.” Although this project has been recently abandoned, I think this concept was a great example of speculative design, one that seemed so extreme and unrealistic however it was semi brought to life.
We then had a talk about employability and post graduate futures, from Glenda. Something that was completely new to me, was Commercial Awareness.
Commercial awareness is an understanding of how industries and businesses work. It’s about knowing what’s going on in the sector and analysing the way it might impact your role and your company. Being commercially aware means you're on top of the latest trends and news in your field and you know who the major players are. - Bright Network