Design for Debate - for What Could Be

We were checking out recently a presentation by London based design agency BERG at SVA / Interaction Design Lecture Series, and enjoyed how they explained their truly explorative approach to design that aims to uncover the dormant and emerging possibilities of technology and design. Their presentation inspired me to take a look at the current role of design as a method to interrogate the existing and explore the future as that is something where we at Wevolve are often heading in our work. 

There has been a lot of discussion recently about design and it’s critical role in society and it's of course quite obvious as almost every corner of the world is witnessing increasing pace and scale of change and new thinking and tools for the exploration of new solutions are urgently needed. There are currently several interesting companies, agencies, thinkers and doers who all swear allegiance to the practice of using design as a mean to engage into a debate of what could be, rather than seeing it as a tool for simply creating something. Many of these critical designers are practicing at the fascinating interface between art and science that often helps us to understand what future might hold and eventually act upon it, too. But the motivations for this critical design debate are varying and the eventual desired impact is ranging from shaping the new frontiers of society and culture to merely exploring the possibilities of technology or simply imagining scenarios for what could be through design fiction or creating artifacts from the future.  

I thought to list some of the actors in the field below to elaborate the different dimensions of their thinking and doing. This is the same sandbox where I see Wevolve is playing and therefore I’m totally geeking out on almost every aspect of the work they do. Increasingly, many are aiming to take a broader socio-cultural or even political stance (as we are living in an era of hyperconsciousness) to explore the larger questions of why and what, but many are still primarily, although not often solely, focusing on exploring the how and the new capabilities of technology as general enablers for design: 

>  Dunne & Raby use design as a medium to stimulate discussion and debate amongst designers, industry and the public about the social, cultural and ethical implications of existing and emerging technologies.

> The Interrogative Design Group’s goal is to combine art and technology into design while infusing it with emerging cultural issues that play critical roles in our society yet are given the least design attention.

> The Near Future Laboratory is a thinking, making, design, development and research practice speculating on the near future possibilities for digital worlds. They study the underlying social practices that define themes related to digital culture and develop scenarios and functioning prototypes that help to evoke the subtleties of these themes to reveal the implications and opportunities for near future digital experiences.

> Lift Lab helps companies and institutions understand, foresee and prepare for changes triggered by technological and social evolutions with the help of research, strategic review, event creation and prototyping. 

> BERG is an invention, strategy and new product development design company, helping with strategy, special projects, and invention workshops, primarily finding opportunities in networks and physical things.

> The Why Factory is a think tank and aims to give argumentation back to the architectural and urbanistic world, concentrating on the production of models and visualizations for future cities and researching possible directions of our urban futures.

There are - and will be - many more, of course. In many ways I believe we are at the beginning of a larger redefinition of critical design and finally realizing the importance of groundbreaking, nonconformist, and future driven thinking and doing, as we can better translate the outcomes into desirable, feasible and viable inventions and innovations that can fast-track change and come up with more creative and systemic solutions for the wicked problems of our times.