design-research-playground project ai genai

Dubber Ruck, think aloud with an animated rubber duck

What does it feel like when you give an AI agent a virtual rubber duck interface?

Dr Joseph Lindley 29 Jul 2026

Dubber Ruck, think aloud with an animated rubber duck

I’ve made a new prototype for the Design Research Playground. Dubber Ruck lets you think aloud with an animated rubber duck that listens and asks questions.

Rubber duck debugging is a thing. In fact, when you use an AI agent to help think through a problem, it’s a bit like a very smart interactive rubber duck. So what does it feel like when you give an AI agent a virtual rubber duck interface? The answer is a Dubber Ruck.

There are ten ducks to choose from, each with its own voice and a slightly different personality. They mostly just ask questions, though some are more annoying than others.

Talk to a Dubber Ruck here.

Written by

Dr Joseph Lindley

Joe leads Design Research Works and is a Senior Research Fellow at Lancaster University. He is passionate about the value of Design Research, in particular in applying that value to the challenges associated with emerging technologies, rapid societal change, and living sustainably. Probably best described as a 'generalist' his research practice usually involves material engagements with possible futures.