Design Fiction

A design research practice that creates fictional but plausible artifacts, scenarios, or narratives set in imagined futures to provoke discussion, surface assumptions, and explore the social and ethical implications of emerging technologies. Unlike traditional prototyping, design fictions are not intended to be built or tested for usability; they serve as conversation starters and critical inquiry tools. In accessibility research, design fictions can help disabled participants articulate preferences and concerns about assistive technologies that do not yet exist, avoiding the constraints of evaluating only current implementations.