Two Case Studies on Platform Design
Summary
The SMGI's Spring '23 lab partnered with New_ Public to develop case studies looking at two specific design features of online platforms: reputation management systems and online jury/tribunal systems. Over the course of the semester, students in our lab read through related research, collated examples of how these systems are used across different platforms, and interviewed practitioners who have worked to develop these systems across major platforms. They took their learnings and put them into these two case studies which aim to serve as practical primers on these design approaches, outlining how these systems work, key insights, showcasing examples, factors to consider when developing the systems, and outstanding and unanswered questions about these approaches.
The SMGI is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with New_ Public on these case studies. You can read more about these case studies and explore New_ Public’s website where they conduct research and prototype online systems aimed at creating digital public spaces where people can thrive and connect by visiting their website.
Researchers
Tanya Aggarwal
Yale Law School ‘26
Jessica Araujo
JC Postbacc Fellow
Michael Bochkur Dratver
JC Postbacc Fellow
Julia Gaburo
Yale SOM ‘24
Matt Katsaros
Director of the Social Media Governance Initiative