Design Fictions

Design Fiction = I dont really understand

One simple defintion set forth in the article by Torie Bosch interviewing Bruce Sterling is that design fiction is “an approach to design that speculates about new ideas through prototyping and storytelling.” But to me that sounds like most design. When designing a new product doesn’t it all come about through speculation and prototyping. Through this definition design fiction sounds like any old design.

Bruce Sterling is a Sci-fi writer and one of the leading names in design fiction. He defines design ficiton as ‘the deliberate use of diegetic prototypes to suspend disbelief about change.’ He also adds that  ‘It means you’re thinking very seriously about potential objects and services and trying to get people to concentrate on those rather than entire worlds or political trends or geopolitical strategies.’ This only confused me further.

I can understand why Design Fiction closely relates to science fiction I just don’t really get what counts as design fiction. In the article they say the use of an ipad type product in Stanley Kubrick’s ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ counts as a ‘diegetic prototype’, where does the line get drawn then between actual design fiction and science fiction. I can understand why design fiction is best realised through audio-visual at the moment.

All in all I feel like I only half understand the subject.