This work visualizes software architecture as a structure that can either block or enable collective creation.
The project refers to the design structure matrix analysis of Mozilla by Alan MacCormack, John Rusnak, and Carliss Baldwin. Their study showed how Mozilla’s redesign reduced a measure of change propagation from 17.35% to 2.78%, making the system far less tightly coupled and more modular.
In this work, dense software dependencies are imagined as a constricted heart: a structure that beats, strains, and resists movement. When the architecture is too entangled, every change spreads too far. Development becomes difficult, and participation from distant contributors becomes harder. The system is open in name, but difficult to enter in practice.
As the structure is refactored, the visual rhythm changes. Connections separate, pressure is released, and the system begins to breathe. Refactoring is presented not only as a technical act, but as a social transformation: a redesign that allows more people to participate, repair, and build together.
The work reflects on the invisible architectures beneath contemporary life. Behind the convenience of digital society are structures that had to be reorganized before they could support collaboration at global scale.
Reference:
Alan MacCormack, John Rusnak, and Carliss Y. Baldwin,
“Exploring the Structure of Complex Software Designs: An Empirical Study of Open Source and Proprietary Code,”
Management Science, 52(7), July 2006.
https://www.hbs.edu/ris/Publication%20Files/05-016.pdf
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