Even before Minority Report, some of the easiest to reach for concepts in design came from science fiction. Maybe they shouldn’t. Here’s a few reasons why we need to try harder.
Science fiction in all its forms has always been an easy inspiration for interaction design. But as we (finally) grapple with the ethics of our work, wholesale borrowing concepts from fiction – which rarely deal with unintended consequences or externalities! – maybe we need to try harder. And have you ever thought about how, exactly, Captain Picard gets his tea?
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Dan Hon
Dan Hon is an expert on technology and its role in society. His work in transforming government and digital services is the subject of a Harvard Kennedy School case study. A keynote speaker on government digital services and the role of technology in society, his writing has been published in Wired Magazine and the MIT Technology Review.
