Abstract
This paper explores how anthropomorphic design can function as a speculative pathway toward alternative futures. Drawing on the vision of design as a form of critical speculation, it proposes that endowing objects with human-like qualities, often accompanied by unexpected behaviours and effects, invites new modes of engagement that are emotional and narratives of the self. By examining selected design cases and artefacts that evoke anthropomorphic thinking, the study argues that such designs do not simply imitate life but provoke reflections on human entanglement with objects they live around and interact with every day, the fragility of agency, and the companionship we desire and long for. Theoretically rooted in anthropomorphism, evocative objects, and speculative design, this work reframes anthropomorphic design as a vital speculative gesture in imagining more empathetic futures.
Keywords
Anthropomorphism; Evocative Objects; Speculative Design; Future Technology
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.407
Citation
Wei, Y., Aarsland, D.,and Liu, W.(2025) "A second glance": Anthropomorphic tools as speculative companion, in Chang, C.-Y., and Hsu, Y. (eds.), IASDR 2025: Design Next, 02-05 December, Taiwan. https://doi.org/10.21606/iasdr.2025.407
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Conference Track
Track 2 - Design Futuring
"A second glance": Anthropomorphic tools as speculative companion
This paper explores how anthropomorphic design can function as a speculative pathway toward alternative futures. Drawing on the vision of design as a form of critical speculation, it proposes that endowing objects with human-like qualities, often accompanied by unexpected behaviours and effects, invites new modes of engagement that are emotional and narratives of the self. By examining selected design cases and artefacts that evoke anthropomorphic thinking, the study argues that such designs do not simply imitate life but provoke reflections on human entanglement with objects they live around and interact with every day, the fragility of agency, and the companionship we desire and long for. Theoretically rooted in anthropomorphism, evocative objects, and speculative design, this work reframes anthropomorphic design as a vital speculative gesture in imagining more empathetic futures.