Speculative Industrial Design with Reflective Virtual Prototyping: A Hybrid Approach to Research Through Design and Heuristic Inquiry

Abstract

This study explores a hybrid methodological approach to speculative industrial design by combining principles of Research through Design (RtD) with elements of Heuristic Inquiry. The aim is to investigate how reflective prototyping can serve as a tool for critically engaging with imagined futures that may never materialize. Rather than focusing on problem-solving or production-ready outcomes, the research positions the design process itself as a site for inquiry, one that allows the designer to explore alternative possibilities, question prevailing assumptions, and surface latent values embedded in design decisions.

The method was applied in a solo research context through the conceptualization and iterative prototyping of a speculative product scenario. The process followed key phases of heuristic engagement, immersion, incubation, illumination, and reflection, integrated with material and digital prototyping cycles drawn from RtD. The resulting artifacts served not only as design outcomes but as cognitive instruments for exploring socio-technical implications and speculative narratives.

This hybrid approach contributes to industrial design scholarship by offering a flexible and deeply reflective methodology for engaging with ambiguous, future-oriented questions. It expands the designer's role from problem-solver to critical provocateur and foregrounds design as a mode of inquiry in its own right.

Keywords

• Autonomous Rescue Systems
• Critical Design Evaluation
• Heuristic Inquiry
• Speculative Industrial Design
• Research through Design

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