Malleable Software
A research agenda for malleable software—tools that users can adapt to their needs without relying on developers, restoring agency in an era of locked-down applications.
We spend most of our time in software environments less flexible than physical spaces. Applications arrive as prefabricated products from distant developers. When something doesn't work the way we need, we submit feedback and wait—or reshape our workflows to match the tool instead of the other way around.
The Vision
Malleable software is a new paradigm where anyone can adapt their tools with minimal friction. Rather than accepting software as fixed, users modify it directly to match how they think and work.
Research Projects
Ink & Switch explores this vision through several active projects:
- Patchwork (2024): Version control for writers, developers, and creatives
- Embark (2023): Live data enriching informal travel plans
- Potluck (2022): Turning text documents into interactive applications
Connection to Local-First
Malleable software shares DNA with local-first-software—both prioritize user agency over platform control. Local-first addresses data ownership; malleability addresses tool ownership. Together they form a vision of computing where users, not corporations, decide how their software behaves and where their data lives.
See also local-first-guide for the broader local-first ecosystem and ux-and-dx-with-sync-engines for practical patterns that enable both paradigms.