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The Imaginative Use of Fictional Bio-Prototypes

In this chapter, the authors point out that we now live in a world of serious multiple problems all of which appear to culminate in one large interconnected turbulent crisis verging, for some, on chaos. This has come about, in part, from our fragmented view of the world and hence our inability to see the interconnections and consider the consequences. We play with the parts and ignore the whole. Designers have contributed importantly to this critical situation. They can also contribute new solutions but only if they adopt a different mind-set. A major feature of these new problems is that we have no precedent to learn from; they are unbelievably complex (or wicked) and will require a different mix of problem-solving techniques and more teamwork of a multidisciplinary nature. The authors address the question: ‘How can designers learn to handle problems of this nature and can the technique of prototyping contribute to this learning experience? ’

As part of this portfolio of work, spanning a period of 30 years, the chapter reports on three independent case-studies that have used Fictional Biological Prototypes. The authors argue that the use of these unconventional prototypes are relevant to technical, ecological and social problem solving, as well as stimulating the imagination when tackling Wicked/Alien Problems. The chapter sets the context and background for each of the independent case studies, briefly describing the protocol, the outcomes and conclusions. In all three case studies, the authors found that fictional Bio-Prototypes were valuable in creating a learning environment for design problems for which there was no prior knowledge. Moreover, the use of Bio-Prototypes at different scale-linked systems levels also proved valuable in reinforcing the idea of systems relationships and interconnections.

The chapter concludes with fifteen thoughts based on the lessons learned from these exercises.