In search of alternative futures:Co-designing a situated futuring game with an indigenous San community

Abstract

Mainstream design futuring methods regrettably direct the practice of designing and envisioning futures towards a narrow set of possibilities shaped by a prevailing worldview. This tendency limits the exploration of a wider and more diverse range of futures. To address this limitation, alternative perspectives of the future are needed. Therefore, in this article, we present the co-design of a design futuring game, /Xoa-!khaia, with an indigenous San community in Southern Africa. The game, as a situated tool for Community-based Futuring, aims to facilitate new visions of the future by broadening and grounding technology possibilities within the local context. We illustrate how its co-design contributes to a transition from and contentation with the status quo, opening up alternative trajectories that leverage indigenous values and practices.</p