Coherence and responsiveness

This article presents a model of the trade-offs between responsiveness and coherence often found in designing and managing systems. The model also describes how both responsiveness and coherence often decline as a system grows. The authors argue that designers need not accept a zero-sum or least-bad choice but rather should seek platform improvements and collaboration tools that […]

Conversational Alignment—Compare to our own Model

Conversational Alignment—Mental Model of our Interlocutor’s Mental Model

Conversational Alignment—Our Mental Models are Converging

Conversational Alignment—Creating a Shared Mental Model

Conversational Alignment

Written for Interactions magazine by Austin Henderson and Jed Harris. People invent and revise their conversation midsentence. People assume they understand enough to converse and then simply jump in; all the while they monitor and correct when things appear to go astray from the purposes at hand. This article explores how this adaptive regime works, […]