An approach to future-oriented technology design - with a reflection on the role of the artefact

This paper describes future-oriented design as a manner to carry out design research in the emerging technology context, i.e. it describes design activities within a research context. For the purpose the paper introduces a method called science fiction prototyping, which has arisen from the emerging technology research with a well-founded aim to encourage future-oriented thinking. This paper briefly introduces the method; primarily so as to clarify why the future-oriented design by science fiction has been found useful. The focus of the paper is nevertheless on the reflection of how the science fiction prototypes may have most value for the design field. The paper argues that this is achieved primarily by considering the prototypes as design outcomes of validated design-oriented research work i.e. by introducing the science fiction prototypes as research-oriented design artefacts