Sciences Participating with Arts & Culture in Education

Science Fiction Prototyping

Science fiction prototyping uses the genre of science fiction to explore possible future technologies––both how they might develop and their potential impact. Here is one common approach to writing a science fiction prototype, developed by Brian David Johnson, author of Science Fiction Prototyping: Designing the Future with Science Fiction:

1. First build a world, creating detailed environments and human characters based on your research. 
2. Then introduce an turning point, such as a new technology. 
3. Describe the impact of that turning point––i.e. how it affects your world, creating many different outcomes. 
4. Introduce a second turning point––a human response to the outcomes above. The response could be an attempted solution to a problem, an innovation, and more.
5. Describe the impact of this second turning point. How has the world you built changed from the start of the story, and what have we learned?¹

Here are a few examples of science fiction prototyping scenarios based on one particular scientific turning point––autonomous technology²:

You can download and fill in the chart below to help you brainstorm your own science fiction prototyping story³:

You can read more about a science fiction prototype project, called Radical Ocean Futures, here as well as read examples of science fiction prototyping here.

You can also read an example of science fiction prototyping by a student on the SPACE website here.

If you would like to know more about how you might write a science fiction prototype, please contact Ursula Sommerer at usommerer@dawsoncollege.qc.ca and she will put you in touch with one of the SPACE coordinators.

¹ Diaz, Jesus. “Sci-fi prototyping: How to predict the future and prepare for the unexpected”. Fast Company. September 6, 2022. https://www.fastcompany.com/90783469/sci-fi-prototyping-how-to-predict-the-future-and-prepare-for-the-unexpected

² Burnam-Fink, Michael. “Creating Narrative Scenarios: Science Fiction Prototyping at Emerge”. Futures 70. December 2014. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/270008379_Creating_Narrative_Scenarios_Science_Fiction_Prototyping_at_Emerge

³ Based on Brian David Johnson’s Science Fiction Prototyping: Designing the Future with Science Fiction. 2011.