Design fiction diegetic prototyping: a research framework for visualizing service innovations

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present a design fiction diegetic prototyping methodology and research framework for investigating service innovations that reflect future uses of new and emerging technologies.

Design/methodology/approach

Drawing on speculative fiction, the authors propose a methodology that positions service innovations within a six-stage research development framework. The authors begin by reviewing and critiquing designerly approaches that have traditionally been associated with service innovations and futures literature. In presenting their framework, authors provide an example of its application to the Internet of Things (IoT), illustrating the central tenets proposed and key issues identified.

Findings

The research framework advances a methodology for visualizing future experiential service innovations, considering how realism may be integrated into a designerly approach.

Research limitations/implications

Design fiction diegetic prototyping enables researchers to express a range of “what if” or “what can it be” research questions within service innovation contexts. However, the process encompasses degrees of subjectivity and relies on knowledge, judgment and projection.

Practical implications

The paper presents an approach to devising future service scenarios incorporating new and emergent technologies in service contexts. The proposed framework may be used as part of a range of research designs, including qualitative, quantitative and mixed method investigations.

Originality/value

Operationalizing an approach that generates and visualizes service futures from an experiential perspective contributes to the advancement of techniques that enables the exploration of new possibilities for service innovation research.

Citation

Harwood, T., Garry, T. and Belk, R. (2020), "Design fiction diegetic prototyping: a research framework for visualizing service innovations", Journal of Services Marketing, Vol. 34 No. 1, pp. 59-73. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2018-0339