Future design mindful of the MoRAS

As human-computer interaction (HCI) expands its scope, the proper context f or the design of information technology (IT) is increasingly an interconnec ted mosaic of responsive adaptive systems (MoRAS) including people's heads, organizations, communities, markets, and cultures. The introduction of IT not only perturbs the individual systems but also critically changes the co upling structure of the whole mosaic that comprises them. These various sys tems respond and adapt to these changes, in effect undertaking their own so rt of "design" efforts, sometimes at odds with explicit intentions. The nee d to understand the role of all these different systems in the outcome expl ains why IT design has become an increasingly interdisciplinary effort. It is likely that our designs will be more successful if we become more mindfu l of this bigger picture. This article discusses the motivations for the Mo RAS perspective; briefly sketches the MoRAS itself; and presents some tales that illustrate its dynamics, the role of IT within it, and the implicatio ns for the future trajectory of HCI. The article concludes with design impl ications and an agenda for furthering the framework.