SXSW 2012 - Design for the Dark Side

Design for the Dark Side
Event	Interactive 2010
Format	Panel
Organizer	Ben Fullerton – IDEO
Description	Design usually focuses on making the world around us better – optimism often rules the roost in our industry. But what might happen if we forced ourselves to design for a catastrophic or dystopian future? Can we learn something by designing for a darker side of human experience?
Questions Answered	Can designers think negatively as well as positively? What might a designed dystopia look like? How can deliberately forcing ourselves to think of the worst income inform more "regular" design activities? What dystopian visions of the future can we draw inspiration from? Are all designers just a little bit self-loathing? What kinds of "worst case scenarios" might be the most interesting to design for? How do you stay productive in the face of certain doom? Who might the best audience for a design noir project be? Why would any designer want to do something like this? How can I start a noir-ish project?
Level	Intermediate
Category	Art, Design Thinking, History of Technology, Other / Out There, Social Issues

Design for the Dark Side