Science Fiction Prototyping at Work

C O M P U T E R 0 0 1 8 9 1 6 2 / 1 6 / $ 3 3 . 0 0 © 2 0 1 6 I E E E P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E I E E E C O M P U T E R S O C I E T Y A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 109 Autodesk is best known for making design software such as AutoCAD. So when people discover that we’re creating tools for molecular design and human–robot collaboration, their rst question is why. The answer usually involves a scienti c explanation of how we’re learning to control DNA much like we control computers—with As, Cs, Ts, and Gs instead of zeros and ones—and maybe an example of someone programming a seed to grow into a house. But these responses fall short of conveying technology’s true e ects on society. Storytelling has played a crucial role in the development of human culture, even before we communicated through speech. Yet technologists still underutilize stories as a means of communicating new ideas. If you’re an avid reader of this column, I don’t have to sell you on science ction prototyping. Rather, I hope to share how Autodesk has been using storytelling to, among other things, answer questions about future technologies in a more relatable, impactful way.