Post #1991405

2026-04-20 12:01 UTC

@smallcircles @johannab @aral I was writing a section on software risk for a proposed book and identified stakeholders - institutions originating/funding the system, those building it, those who directly use it, and those affected by it but don't directly use it and maybe don't even know it exists. Each of those groups except the last has a clear common name except the last. The best I could come up with was "victims".

Replies (1)

@smallcircles@social.coop 2026-04-20 13:04

@arclight @johannab Yes, that is the most unaddressed group, suffering the externalities if they are negative. But they can also be positive, bring indirect benefits, it all depends. So victims is not the best word. Umm, let's see.. In the most general sense #SX distinguishes between #commons and the #public. "The public" is then the word, the wider public, everyone touched. But that's not very useful other than talking handwavingly. In many cases I suspect it is best to refine to a domain-specific stakeholder name. E.g. if you are the Lung Health Institute you may have "The public affected by Smokers" and then divide the public into Non-smokers, Asthma patients, Covid patients, etc. either direct or indirect stakeholders who suffer the externalities when in close proximity to a Smoker direct/indirect stakeholder. Btw, I posted on @aral observations on "user" and started practicing my avoidance from there on, though gradually at first, takes practice. https://discuss.coding.social/t/humane-design-avoiding-the-term-user/61

Open ##1991406