Inventoida

Inventoida is a neologism used in studies of invention, design, and speculative fiction to refer to the imagined or prototyped form of an invention before it exists in the world. The term is not tied to a specific object and there is no formal definition; its exact meaning varies by author and context.

In many uses, inventoida denotes a fully developed concept artifact, including its stated function, form, materials, production assumptions, and user interactions, crafted to explore how the invention would work and what effects it might have.

In practice, inventoida appears in design fiction, speculative design, innovation workshops, and humanities discussions as a narrative instrument or a prototyping exercise. A studio might present an inventoida of a solar-powered medical drone or a personal data wallet, describing technical specs, social implications, and ethical considerations to prompt discussion rather than to forecast a real product.

Relation to related ideas: it overlaps with concepts such as design fiction, future studies, and concept prototyping. However, inventoida remains informal and is not standardized in theory or method, which can lead to variation in how it is used and interpreted.

Critiques note that inventoida can obscure the line between speculation and reality; supporters argue that it formalizes imagined artifacts in a way that makes their potential consequences more legible to stakeholders.