Impact Fiction: the Gentle Art of Bending the Near Future.

This dissertation presents, and performs, a novel way of practicing design, to inform the core methodology of a new design practice; one seeking near future impact-innovation outcomes — cornerstoned to build Agency for our Elder* segment. The mainstay thesis question, evolved to ask: ‘How can ‘Mind—based Capital’ (MC) become situated in a design method — levering its ‘productive thought’ by ‘imagination play’, within ‘affective simulations’; thus flowing such vesting minds into ‘effective motivation’ within a high relevance society of MC actors [‘community—of—practice’] seeking impact outcomes within better adjacent futures ?’ A Design Science Research (DSR) approach to practice inquiry, was guided herein, by select Key Informants (KIs); leading to a KI evaluated Creative Response + Practice Interrogation; closing with committee defence + installation + researcher reflections. Key insights revealed: successful impact-innovation-to-market must resolve ‘a wicked tangle of polychotomies’. For which, a certain serendipity — driven with applied intent — appears requisite; done by vesting high relevance MC; situated in context at the most “upstream” source of segment needs or desires. Impact-innovation outcomes require the mindsets of myriad Leaders to become pliable to such a source — invited to flow along affectively; to effectively harvest emergent complexities — available within such an ’Applied Serendipity’ of mind—flow. The Synthesis of such a Practice Methodology, responds herein, by employing the use of: ‘Applied—Story.’ Plausible, speculative fictives provide our minds with bridges into experiential simulations — not predictive, for this thesis — rather, as evocative. Our human predilection toward fiction, is: suspension-of-disbelief; thus moving mindsets into resonant mind-flows — open to experience the playful closeness of complex emergence; accomplished with fictive craft, through a captivating immersion within a narrative [diegetic] lens, of plausible, ‘paradoxical simulation’. When the MC of myriad Leaders engages such compelling fictives — realization of impact results can be evoked. The performative ‘Creative Response’ appears herein as an exemplar of such an ‘Applied-Story’, titled: ‘MIND :: STACK :: SWITCH’ . An original speculative fictive; monikered, a: ‘Design-Novella’ (DN). A fulcrum, for such a society of vesting MC to pivot their productive imaginations upon. Raising impact-innovation outcomes from “possible” to: probable. Ensuring our near future “Third—Acts” become: … our best one. *our “Elders”, as in: the large [and growing to an historic high] ‘Older Aged Adult’ [OAA] population, and market segment, entering their “Third-act” of lifespan. “Impact", as: “social” or “product” innovation.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Design (DDes)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Environmental Design

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Graduate Studies

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• McIlvenna, Steven Charles

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Wylant, Barry

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Taron, Josh
• Hart, Greg
• Fox, Kris
• Finch, David

• IMPACT INNOVATION
• WICKED PROBLEM
• SERENDIPITY
• MIND FLOW
• MIND CAPITAL
• MENTAL CAPITAL
• IMPACT FICTION
• EFFECTIVE MOTIVATION
• AUTOPOIESIS
• TANGLED POLYCHOTOMIES
• APPLIED STORY
• APPLIED SERENDIPITY
• IMAGINATION PLAY
• SUSPENSION OF DISBELIEF
• PARADOX PURPOSE
• PARADOX SIMULATION
• COMPLEX EMERGENCE
• DESIGN NOVELLA
• SPECULATIVE FICTION
• SENIOR AGENCY
• SPECULATIVE DESIGN
• NEAR FUTURE
• SCIENCE FICTION
• ADJACENT FUTURE
• DESIGN FICTION
• AFFECTIVE SIMULATION
• DIEGESIS
• RENAISSANCE NOVELLA
• OLDER AGED ADULT
• ELDER PURPOSE
• ELDER AGENCY
• SENIOR PURPOSE
• NARRATIVE
• MINDSET
• SOCIETY
• THIRD ACT
• LEADER READER
• SOCIAL INNOVATION
• CONTEXTUAL SITUATION
• COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
• DSR
• DESIGN SCIENCE RESEARCH
• MC
• EMERGENCE
• FULCRUM STUDIO EXCHANGE
• MIND STACK SWITCH
• THIRD ACT PURPOSE
• WICKED IMPACT EXCHANGE
• TAP WISE

Statement dc:rights

• University of Calgary graduate students retain copyright ownership and moral rights for their thesis. You may use this material in any way that is permitted by the Copyright Act or through licensing that has been assigned to the document. For uses that are not allowable under copyright legislation or licensing, you are required to seek permission.

Language dc:language.iso

en

DOI

https://dx.doi.org/10.11575/PRISM/50011

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:ucalgary.scholaris.ca:1880/122418