From Design Fiction to Future Models of Community Building and Civic Engagement

Abstract

In this paper we present our design fiction "From a Long Sleep", an episodic near-future scenario set on a remote island in southern Europe, and an analysis of design fiction as practice. In the discussion that follows the story, we describe using a design fiction approach to explore the outer limits of the design space for a holistic community engagement platform that combines affective computing, geospatial annotation, urban crowdsourcing, social curation, and place-based peer-to-peer networking for enhanced urban livability. We describe the recent turn in design fiction towards real-life impact, and discuss the process of crafting our narrative through decisions about structure, character, and action. We then discuss how "From a Long Sleep" helped us to rethink our original design concepts --giving rise to a dedicated voice user interface -- as well as lending shape to the platform structure and informing the design of our prototype. We conclude by presenting 10 design fiction insights and recommendations.