Something that caught my attention from the 4th week lecture was the idea that a humanities person is trained to “talk about dead things”. We address all the things that are dead, and of the past, and brainstorm what isn’t dead; what is unborn, and what is yet to arise. Adrian proposed that design is a practice that is future-oriented. I can form the links between these two statements and the past readings on double-loop learning and design fiction. It’s like a more comprehensive way of saying “think outside the box”. This also ties in with the statement that Adrian made about design being “fashionable”. Think about it.

Fashion goes through phases. Platform disco shoes, flared pants, halter-necked, tie up tops, jeans and runners (ugh), gladiator sandals, leopard print, etc. Now think about the current trends- khaki anoraks, metallic studs, disco pants, creepers, button-up shirts, skater dresses, velvet everything, chunky-heeled shoes. All of these things that come in and out of fashion are remakes of past trends. Fashion designers recycle trends. They bring up old fashion statements and re-dress them. But it’s not considered recycling. It’s revolutionary. It’s an upgrade. And that’s what design is. It’s an upgrade. A change, an improvement, and a refreshing take to further society. Like a smart phone. It’s an upgrade in comparison to an actual phone. Something that has been around for years. But what is considered old news, is tweaked. It’s changed, improved, and is a refreshing take on phones, in order to push society. And it was considered revolutionary. So what’s to say that the next “big thing” is actually going to be that revolutionary? It’ll probably be a take on something that already exists. But duh, how do you think we got plasma screen TV’s? How did we get new seasons of 90210? How did we get Macbooks and MP3s and even toe-socks? Design fiction. Like Brian suggested, design fiction won’t solve all the world’s problems in one go. Design is also a slow process. Things evolve bit by bit, and nothing is ever “perfect”. And I agree with the suggestion that the focus of design fiction should be more centred around the changes in society rather than the developments of new technologies.