Nanditha Meria Francis

BD3596

This research project takes you on a transformative journey, delving into a comprehensive exploration of speculative design and its facets, including design fiction and science fiction. The intricate realms of Indian science fiction, where narratives from “The Gollancz Book of South Asian Science Fiction” serve as gateways to envisioning futures within our own context. The journey unfolds with the identification of compelling themes within these narratives, leading to world-building exercise and the creation of visual fragments depicting selected story elements. AI image generation tools were used for this visualisation process, the tool’s limitations of capturing cultural nuances. As a designer, adjustments were made to incorporate cultural aspects separately, highlighting the necessity of human intervention in AI-generated content. While stepping into the process of diegetic prototyping, the focus shifted to problem selection and theme exploration, culminating in the design of artifacts related to these themes, derived directly from the narratives or imagined extensions. The process involved understanding scenarios deeply, and crafting products that resonated with the identified themes, showcasing the iterative and creative nature of design inquiry. Through these endeavours, this report illuminates the intersection of speculative design, narrative analysis, and innovative design solutions, underscoring the importance of human creativity and cultural sensitivity in shaping future scenarios and product design within a speculative context.