• Introduction

Malleability

The capacity for users to reshape their tools with minimal friction—from adjusting preferences to building custom workflows.

Where adaptability describes how the system responds to users, malleability describes how easily users can reshape the system itself. Both require agency, but malleability specifically concerns user-driven modification.

Scope of change

What can be made malleable, from surface to core:

Gentle slope

Users progress from passive use to active creation. The goal: each step requires only incremental investment of learning, with no sharp “cliffs” that block progression.

Use → Configure → Modify → Create

  • Use: Interact with defaults as provided
  • Configure: Adjust exposed settings and preferences
  • Modify: Rearrange, combine, and extend existing elements
  • Create: Build new views, tools, or workflows

Avoiding cliffs

Sharp jumps in required skill block progression. MacLean et al. (1990) propose that each incremental increase in tailoring power should require only a small incremental investment of learning.

Key enablers:

  • In-place toolchain: Edit where you use, no separate development environment
  • Progressive disclosure: Reveal complexity only when needed
  • Safe experimentation: Undo, drafts, and previews reduce fear. Temporality enables versioning and history.

Not everyone needs to reach the top

Most users stay in the lower and middle parts of the slope. “Local developers”—enthusiasts within a team or community—help others climb higher when needed. This enables collaboration between people with different skill levels.

TODO: Communal creation

Malleability isn’t purely individual. Customizations can be shared, and communities can collectively shape their tools.

  • Individual modifications become shareable templates
  • “Local developers” guide others up the slope
  • Situated software: tools shaped for specific community needs
  • Shared modifications benefit groups, not just individuals

Resources