Mapping future eating: insights from structured design fiction workshops

This paper presents two design fiction workshops exploring future eating scenarios in 2040. A narrative workshop with 116 participants and an ideation workshop with 68 participants utilised a pre-researched matrix framework as the core design fiction material. In total, 97 narratives and 60 design outcomes were collected and analysed around three key themes: Efficiency, Entertainment, and Ecology. A more-than-human lens is applied to interpret the speculative outcomes, with particular attention to tech-driven food alternatives, sensory-enhanced eating experiences, and ecologically resilient food innovations. Follow-up feedback suggests that participants from diverse backgrounds were able to generate coherent and consistent visions of the future when supported by the structured framework and workshop process. We conclude by discussing key tensions and design opportunities for future food technologies, and reflect on the integration of design fiction with more-than-human perspectives.