Overcoming Future Challenges with Speculative Design: A Critical Tool for a Changing Society

Abstract for a Skills-Building Workshop from the 2022 International SBCC Summit in Morocco: 

"We often learn SBCC tools and techniques to design for the near future, where it is relatively easy to understand the implications of our interventions and efforts. However, to stay ahead of the game, we need to design for what will be. For futures that can "be hard" to predict or even  fathom. Join designers and public health professionals from Jhpiego and Quicksand to learn techniques that help you unpack and untangle the possibilities of the future through speculative design. This workshop will include the application of three speculative design tools and a critical examination about how to use them along with their limitations. In Part I (Application), we will apply design scenarios, what if question, and artefacts from the future to "do" speculative design. In Part II (Examination), we will examine: 1) the artefacts, including their implications for the future; 2) equity and the need to center multiple present realities, along with other critics of the tools; and 3) how to integrate speculative design into an SBCC practice. Speculative design allows us to step back and reflect on how SBCC has been evolving, and what implications it may have for the future of the practice. Additionally, it will help us use the future as inspiration for change and innovation today."