Participative Systems
Prompted by an exchange with a tech journalist during a review of the research programs at the MIT Media Lab, this work began from the question of how any two software demonstrations compare in their value to users.
The presentation includes a review of the workings of first-order systems (systems that use simple feedback to achieve their goals) and second-order systems (systems that can change their own goals). It then presents a definition of "participative systems" and a means to rigorously chart the evolution of such systems in terms of their degree of complexity and ability to collaborate on the specification of new goals. By enumerating the range of possible interaction modes between users and artifacts, the framework guides the design of systems that participate as collaborative partners. - November 2000
Updated 2005 Participative Systems Presentation [250KB PDF]. See also presentation given at CUNY in March 2008.
Related Links:
New Order from Old: The Book Proposal
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