InData Envisioning and Prototyping Informed by Data. A Data Scraping and Visualization Tool to Support Design Scenarios

Acknowledging the roles and potentials of data as activators of the design process within the fields of speculative design and prototyping, we are running a study to foster collaboration between the fields of speculative design, smart materials, digital fabrication, and interactive artifacts. This paper presents the first outcomes from InData, an ongoing research project that investigates how envisioning and prototyping can be informed by data. In this paper, authors present the first research outcome: an interactive tool that scrapes and visualize data from IMDb.com to support designers in envisioning future scenarios outlining the design and testing of the tool through an iterative process that allowed improvements. The purpose of InData Scraping Tool is not limited to the mentioned applications, but rather they have been a pilot of a flexible tool and methodology applicable to other fields and scalable in larger experimental and applied actions.