Science Fiction Prototyping Narrative Method

Turn a future assumption, present constraint, stakeholder, and horizon into a science-fiction prototyping narrative and tests.

Description

Science-fiction prototyping places a future assumption into a concrete stakeholder scene.

Science-fiction prototyping places a future assumption into a concrete stakeholder scene. The scene is a testable prompt rather than a prediction.^[1]

The returned values include Prototyping narrative, Prototype prompts, Testable assumptions. The How section below explains the calculation, input rules and interpretation.

When to use Science Fiction Prototyping Narrative Method

Use Science Fiction Prototyping Narrative Method when you need to evaluate the supplied records under the calculation and evidence rules below. No generated plot reasoning, simulation or forecast probability is supplied.

Define the question, evidence and scenario assumptions first. Supply the chosen score scales, time horizons or reference selection explicitly. Interpret generated text as a discussion template and screen labels as the stated rules.

How to use Science Fiction Prototyping Narrative Method and understand its results

Define the question, evidence and scenario assumptions first. Supply the chosen score scales, time horizons or reference selection explicitly. Interpret generated text as a discussion template and screen labels as the stated rules.
Enter futureAssumption, presentConstraint, stakeholder, timeHorizon using the field table and calculation rules, then run the tool.
Read narrative, prototypePrompts, testableAssumptions. The explanation below defines the units, signs, ordering and any flags or placeholder values.
If the tool reports an input issue, correct the values and run it again. Apply the stated assumptions when interpreting a successfully returned result.

Input field	Meaning	Value type; see rules below	Requirement
futureAssumption	Future assumption	string	Required
presentConstraint	Present constraint	string	Required
stakeholder	Stakeholder	string	Required
timeHorizon	Time horizon	string	Required

Trim four nonblank strings for assumption, present constraint, stakeholder and horizon. Insert them into a fixed narrative and three prototype prompts. Return two testable-assumption strings, including the constraint remaining material.

narrative=fixed scene template with supplied fields

Units, indexing, boundary conditions and exceptional cases are defined in the calculation rules above.

Output field	Meaning	Value type
narrative	Prototyping narrative	string
prototypePrompts	Prototype prompts	list of string
testableAssumptions	Testable assumptions	list of string

json

{
  "input": {
    "futureAssumption": "automated services are available on demand",
    "presentConstraint": "trust is uneven across neighborhoods",
    "stakeholder": "a community care coordinator",
    "timeHorizon": "2040"
  },
  "output": {
    "narrative": "In 2040, a community care coordinator encounters a future where automated services are available on demand, while trust is uneven across neighborhoods. The scene makes visible the choices, dependencies, and exclusions that the assumption creates.",
    "prototypePrompts": [
      "Stage a scene in which a community care coordinator must act on automated services are available on demand.",
      "Show a normal day shaped by trust is uneven across neighborhoods without explaining the system directly.",
      "Test how the scene changes if automated services are available on demand is false."
    ],
    "testableAssumptions": [
      "automated services are available on demand",
      "trust is uneven across neighborhoods remains material in the imagined setting."
    ]
  }
}

Limitations and assumptions

No generated plot reasoning, simulation or forecast probability is supplied.

Numeric inputs, where present, must be finite. Follow the calculation-specific rules for overflow, underflow and exceptional cases. Extremely large text inputs are rejected. Missing fields without a declared default, extra fields, wrong value types and violations of the calculation rules are input errors.

Alternative or Complementary methods

Use Design Fiction Diegetic Artifact From Future Builder: A diegetic design-fiction artifact appears as an ordinary object within an imagined world. Its form can make a future constraint tangible. For a complementary task, use Scenario Narrative Persona Character Builder: A persona can make a scenario's decisions and trade-offs concrete. Caller-provided goals, perspective and constraints determine this narrative.

References

Science Fiction Prototyping Narrative Method — tool.io

Similar or alternative tools

Design Fiction Diegetic Artifact From Future Builder
A diegetic design-fiction artifact appears as an ordinary object within an imagined world. Its form can make a future constraint tangible.
Scenario Narrative Persona Character Builder
A persona can make a scenario's decisions and trade-offs concrete. Caller-provided goals, perspective and constraints determine this narrative.