Designing creepiness

Imagine… What if technology were deliberately designed to be creepy?

What would be left to scare us?

In Creepy Futures, technology is creepy andcreepiness is a normalised design attribute.

Our vision of the Future argues that designers should consider embedding “emotional discomfort” as creepiness in their designs to facilitate reflection on ethics and side effects of technology.

CREEPINESS IS

THE “ANXIETY AROUSED BY THE AMBIGUITY OF WHETHER THERE IS SOMETHING TO FEAR OR NOT”

(McAndrews & Koehnke, 2016)

Technology is everywhere, but sometimes it can feel unwelcome, intrusive or even creepy.

These are negative qualities that are often avoided in the design of new technology.

However, what if we used them to create devices that are purposefully creepy?

The main objective of this research project is to use speculation (Design Fictions) to create a collection of mixed-media artefacts from "creepy futures".

This approach challenges traditional design by intentionally creating speculative "creepy" devices as a way to make the qualities we dislike obvious to help us reflect on what makes good, ethical design.

By imagining what it would be like to live with creepy devices, we can learn about how it fits in our lives and rethink our relationship with technology.

Check the Research Article behind the project Check the Research Article behind the project