Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps (2025)
11 hours ago
- Physical environments can be easily adapted, but digital software environments are rigid and limit user agency.
- Mass-produced software cannot address specific needs, leading to loss of process flexibility and user agency.
- The goal of malleable software is to create an ecosystem where anyone can adapt tools with minimal friction.
- Existing customization approaches (settings, plugins, modding, open source, AI) have significant limitations for full malleability.
- Key design patterns include a gentle slope from passive use to active creation, tools as composable components (not monolithic apps), and communal creation for shared needs.
- The authors have developed prototypes like Patchwork (malleable collaboration) and dynamic documents (Potluck, Embark) to explore these ideas.
- Malleable software faces challenges in privacy, business models, and culture, but the potential benefits justify the effort.