The Wearable R.I.P. is a casket-like hood for a calm space on-the-go, designed by Yu-Ting Cheng. She is an Interaction Designer specialised in Product and Branding and currently pursues a PhD at the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and TU/e. She came over to our studio in the Innovation Powerhouse to give us a guest about her specialty: Design Fiction. A great way to spend our lunch and learn something new while we're at it!
"Design fiction is an approach to speculate the technological future through prototyping" - Yu-Ting Cheng
The depiction of future technology such as the hologram interface in the scene from Minority Report shown above, are characteristic for Hollywood Design Fiction. Design Fiction is a method for conceptualisation that gives way to creative prototyping and experimentation. It is this very method Yu-Ting Cheng applied to come up with the Wearable R.I.P. In her take on Design Fiction she stresses the careful balance between human, societal and technological factors.
This is precisely what we mean when we stress Grow, Empathise, and Achieve factors in our designs. At VanBerlo we highly value the equal consideration of the consumer needs, technological feasibility and business receptivity in all of our projects. It is nice to find how Yu-Ting backs this up with academic support from her PhD research.
We would like to thank Yu-Ting Cheng to visit and inspire our Studio and share her insights with the team.