Black Mirror Exercise

Matthew Stephens

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This template helps design and product teams explore the darker side of technology through a Black Mirror inspired exercise. It guides participants in imagining how a product or feature could be misused, abused, or create harmful unintended consequences. The outcome is not only creative storytelling but also clearer anti-goals that help teams design more responsibly.

It is especially useful for designers, product managers, and innovators who want to sharpen their ethical lens and anticipate risks early in the process.

To use the template, start with the provided ethical prompts, brainstorm potential scenarios, and then turn them into Netflix-style Black Mirror “episodes.” Each group creates a title, synopsis, and visual representation of their episode, then shares back with the team for discussion. The exercise works best with groups of three to five people and typically runs in about 45 to 60 minutes.

Matthew Stephens

Fractional Design Leader @ kickback

Based in Austin with over 25 years at the intersection of design, technology, and business. As a fractional design leader, I collaborate with early-stage to Series C startups to build robust design and research capabilities that drive innovation and accelerate growth. I specialize in establishing and scaling teams that deliver exceptional customer experiences in competitive markets.