Applied Speculation in Work-Centered Socio-Technical Transitions: Converging Trajectories and Unresolved Gaps

This critical commentary offers a reading of trajectories we intercepted when trying to apply speculative design in labor context, and within a transdisciplinary research setting. These trajectories point toward forms of speculation that can intervene more directly within ongoing transformations in socio-technical arrangements, by building collective capacity to negotiate technological change; fostering collective agency; and redistributing power across different actors. We present these trajectories in dialogue with adjacent traditions, such as Scandinavian participatory design and participatory futuring, recognizing both shared contextual conditions and commitments, particularly in relation to imagining alternative futures. This reading further enables us to highlight convergences and unresolved gaps across these fields, pointing to possible directions for future research at the intersection of participation, design, and futures.