A Map of York for Autonomus Cars
Speculative Design ︲Design Methodology
Critical Design
2022
In my final year of university, I created a design fiction piece, and I chose to create a map of York that could be used by the public in the near future to navigate York. It shows the possible obstacles that the people might encounter in the future with self-driving vehicles along with the potential failures that might arise using this technology. I also paid close attention to how the streets in the city might need to be redesigned to cater for autonomous vehicles as well as bikes and standard cars. The map represents a possible future for my audience, with the goal of sparking discussion on the use of autonomous vehicles and the implications they could have on a city like York.
The inspiration for this design fiction came partly from Amazon Prime's Upload. The entire show is based on a self-driving car accident, and it attempts to reflect the near future accurately. The show excels at imagining the future of autonomous vehicles while posing the big questions that will determine whether they succeed or fail in the future, such as the vulnerability they could have to hacking and the potential ethical and logistical issues that would arise for owners owning their vehicles.
Design Process:
Instead of focusing on the impact that autonomous vehicles would have on humans, I wanted to look at the influence that they will have on cities and the urban landscape, as well as the implications and opportunities that they will bring. The idea to create a map came from the whole concept around whether autonomous vehicles will only be acceptable on certain roads, and I felt a map would be the best thing to showcase this. My view was that they could only be used on numerous roads that will have the energy infrastructure to make them work and using them in places like the countryside and rural areas wouldn’t be possible. This is projected on the map that I created.
Before I began designing, I spent some time determining the key aspects and systems that autonomous vehicles must have in order to function properly. I came up with ideas focusing on the human and technological components of a self-driving car, as well as potential life experiences people could have. I also got the chance to consider potential ramifications and how my design should effectively communicate these issues to my audience.
Once I brainstormed my ideas on what should be included on the map, I then loaded up SnazzyMaps, which allowed me to construct my own map style that matched the near-future aesthetic I was attempting to achieve with my artifact. While placing information on the map was important, deciding what to leave off was just as important to avoid the map being packed or unreadable. I begin the task of making it look good once I had the appropriate level of information and spent time on perfecting the fonts, design, and colours that was going to be used on the map.
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After I finished designing the map layout, I launched Photoshop to organise and project the new road sections, polish the map elements, and remove the old and add in the new road labels. I then added the individual colours to the roads based on what vehicles would be able to use them which was reflected onto my key. Due to multiple revisions of the map and development of new road signs, this process took longer than intended. Using Photoshop and a map format I had the opportunity to add content alongside the actual street plan. This allowed me to expand the world I was building with this fiction. This content included some of the issues that surrounds AV which was worked up from the brainstorming at the start of the project.
Illustrated Design Fiction:
The result of my design fiction demonstrates the potential impact that self-driving cars could have on traffic, transport infrastructure, and mobility in general. The piece may appear real at first glance, yet it is a work of fiction and portrays York in a slightly different way from today.
The map contains a collection of futuristic predictions that show the implications that self-driving vehicles would bring onto a transport infrastructure. For instance, the main notable change is the reshuffling of the roads so that AV operates safely whilst also avoiding the mingling of autonomous vehicles and human-driven vehicles in traffic. I also looked at the implications that using these autonomous vehicles brings on the owner in the FAQ section of my map looking at major issues like road using sensors, artificial intelligence, and personal data.
I created a map, as they give us the evidence and support we need to see how humanity, technology and nature has changed overtime. They transport us to the past, present, and future without us travelling there. My design fiction was created to put the future in the hands of my audience, with the goal of educating them on the ramifications that today's technological breakthroughs can have on the lives of people in the future, as well as individuals alive today. While some of the items on my map may appear to be threats, others represent opportunities to improve everyday life and lifestyles.
In terms to the possible obstacles people might face with autonomous vehicles this map is not fully optimistic. By creating something for that could be used in the future it is easy to go over the top which will make the design look unrealistic. Having a lack of critique would mean that it wouldn’t generate the debate and discussion I want my audience to have about the future of self-driving cars. People, along with myself, tend to view the future through their own lens. As this is my design, I would want people to challenge my assumptions on the use of autonomous vehicles and find out how their way would be better.
On The Road:
My goal with my design was to spark discussion among my audience about the obstacles that would be encountered, the failures that could occur, and the services that might arise in the possible future if self-driving cars become more common. The audience will focus on how an entire transport network may need to be refigured and redesigned to accommodate the use of autonomous vehicles, as well as what is acceptable on certain streets. This may challenge our thoughts on pedestrian zones, roads for non-self-driving vehicles while not forgetting the infrastructure required for this technology to run and succeed.
Finally, this experiment with future narratives paves the way for a new approach in response to AI techniques to speculate on the consequences that AI and robots could have in the world and the changes that we would have to make in order to accommodate them in our lives and what will happen next if they become popular.
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