PROVOKING THROUGH PROTOTYPES

Summary from the TLDR Design newsletter

A provotype is a prototype designed to provoke reactions and stimulate new thinking rather than test usability, dialing up strangeness and difference to challenge norms. Fashion designers frequently use this approach with exaggerated runway pieces that eventually influence mainstream designs, while product and service designers might create radical "what if" visions around AI, data access, or user interactions. However, provocation isn't always appropriate—some teams or topics require trust-building first, and certain sensitive subjects need trauma-informed approaches rather than deliberately unsettling prototypes.