Critical design

Critical design takes a critical theory based approach to design. This kind of design uses design fiction and speculative design proposals to challenge assumptions, conceptions about the role of objects play in everyday life. Popularized by Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby through their firm, Dunne & Raby.

The term Critical Design was first used in Anthony Dunne’s book Hertzian Tales (1999) and further developed in Design Noir: The Secret Life of Electronic Objects (2001). Its opposite is affirmative design: design that reinforces the status quo. It is more of an attitude than a style or movement; a position rather than a method. There are many people doing this kind of work who have never heard of the term critical design and would describe their work differently. Naming it Critical Design is simply a way of making this activity more visible and emphasising that design has other possibilities beyond solving problems.

Design as critique is not a new idea. For example, Italian Radical Design of the 1960s and 70s was highly critical of prevailing social values and design ideologies. Critical design builds on this attitude, to make critical concept and ideologies in design approach. This design uses designed artifacts as an embodied commentary on consumer culture. Both the designed artifact (and subsequent use) and the process of designing such an object causes reflection on existing values, mores, and practices in a culture. Humour is important in critical design but the satire is the goal. For a success of Critical design the viewer need to make up their own mind.

A critical design object will often challenge its audience's preconceptions and expectations thereby provoking new ways of thinking about the object, its use, and the surrounding environment. Its opposite is affirmative design Objects made by critical designers frequently employ classic design processes—research, user experience, iteration—and apply these working processes to conceptual scenarios intended to highlight social, cultural, or political paradigms.

Nevertheless, Critical Design is discussed as an approach in Design Research, as a way to critique social, cultural, technical and economic controversies through designing critical artefacts. According to Sanders Critical Design involves also probes as "ambiguous stimuli that designers send to people who then respond to them, providing insights for the design process." Uta Brandes identifies Critical Design as discrete Design Research method and Bowen integrates it in human-centered design activities as a useful tool for stakeholders to critically think about possible futures.

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