Average Thought Provoking Wednesday

I have to be honest, a sort of anxiety ran through me right after Elliot said that we are to form groups and are to review a specific blog post of our choice. I did. I really did. But I didn’t let it bother me too much as I had a task in hand.

I reviewed Jame’s post, which was a summary on the topic of design fiction. The readings were analyzed in a spot-on fashion and comprehensive manner. (I’m not saying the readings are hard to understand, it’s because I have a very short attention span) I quote James:

Ward then goes on to make a very real and thought provoking point, that designers are never in the here and now, that that they are always designing for the future. Now this notion made me think that if they are never in the here and now, then should there be any need to teach them about design fiction as their line of thought would already be on the outer?

The point that caught my eye was his question regarding Ward’s claims, in which I agree upon. The purpose of design is, in literal and altruistic terms, for the future. However, it all comes down to practicality and temporality. Coming to a point where Elliot said that if society needs a piece of technology, then they will find a way to build it. If a design is not practical in the now, then it will be, some day.

His blog featured a picture of the characters of the Star Trek franchise using specific types of communication technology that weren’t invented during that time. Subsequent years passed and eventually the pieces of technology were invented and commercialized. I am astounded by the ability of the Star Trek producers to predict the future so accurately. (whether they realize it, or not)

This brings a thought, we are all in dire need of flying cars, but why don’t we have them yet?

“So – is innovation dead? Coming back to Peter Thiel’s catchphrase, we DO have flying cars. The first ones flew in the 1930s, in fact. But, using the much-lamented flying car as proxy for expectations of the future that didn’t happen as planned, we see that achieving success demands more than just showing that something is technically possible.” – W.Patrick McCray

This all comes back to design fiction, and practicality, and temporality, and practice. We may not have flying cars yet, but visioneers are inventing a new future.