What is it about?
There are various studies on specific types of artifacts. Many of them have focused on “technical artifacts” and “cognitive artifacts”; and, more recently, other studies have examined “regulatory artifacts”. However, a general typology is still lacking. This article aims to build such a typological framework based on the identification of three macro-categories of artifacts — i.e. behaviour-supporting, behaviour-engaging, and behaviour-influencing — and on the identification of ten sub-categories within them.
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Why is it important?
This is the first attempt to construct a general typology of artifacts that also includes regulatory artifacts, which are generally understudied.
Perspectives
Regulatory artifacts — that is, artifacts designed to influence behavior, such as traffic lights and roundabouts — have been understudied and, in general, scarcely thematized. Investigating their meaning and role is important not only in itself but also for shedding light on the broader issue of artifacts and the related topics of intentionality and functionality
prof. Stefano Moroni
Politecnico di Milano
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: On the multiplicity of artifacts: A typology including regulatory artifacts, Design Studies, December 2025, Elsevier,
DOI: 10.1016/j.destud.2025.101356.
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