Design fiction projects

In the past years, I have been very interested in understanding what design fictions are, how they can be used to make an impact in the society, and how they are taken up in diy and hobbyist practices.

Project # 1 : SFUture - SFU in 2065



In this project, our team created a series of 6 'fake' documentary videos to describe what Simon Fraser University would look and feel like in 50 years from now.

Issues at the scale of sustainability typically engage a variety of stakeholders who have different visions and understandings of potential solutions. Rallying those people, gaining a common goal and keeping optimism towards future solutions can be challenging. In this project, we explored how design fiction can serve as a tool to address those challenges by providing a common vision and by offering an opportunity to critically reflect and discuss possible futures with regards to an issue like sustainability.

More about the project can be found on our tumblr and our Youtube channel.

Project in collaboration with Sabrina Hauser (SFU), Kashif Pasta (SFU) and Mike Funergy (SFU)

_ Hauser, S., Desjardins, A., and Wakkary, R. (2014).
SFUture - Envisioning a Sustainable University Campus in 2065, Proc EA DIS 2014, New York, ACM Press. 29-32.


Project # 2 : A Sustainable Design Fiction: Green Practices



In this analytical study, we investigate how design fictions are taken up in practices of hobbyists and DIY enthusiasts. We observed how design fiction concepts and representations served to trigger the imagination of DIY enthusiasts to make versions today of what might exist in the future. For example small scale green walls in wood pallets or an IKEA version of an hydroponic kitchen.

We also saw an important role for interaction designers: to play the role of a hybrid designer, a role of translation between design fiction images and the tools and materials of today.

Project in collaboration with Ron Wakkary (SFU), Sabrina Hauser (SFU), and Leah Maestri (SFU)

_ Wakkary, R., Desjardins, A., Hauser, S. and Maestri, L. (2013).
A Sustainable Design Fiction: Green Practices, In ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), Special Issue: Sustainable HCI through Everyday Practices. 20, no.4 (September 2013), ACM Press. 23:1-23:34.