The Plebeian Platform
A UX Project for a democratic society based on the writing of Political Theorist Camila Vergara.
Inspired by the work of political theorist Camila Vergara, the Spring 2022 Advanced Interaction Design course at MSU was dedicated to designing the user experience of the digital infrastructure for a new branch of government aimed at renewing the power of the people in democratic societies. This semester was devoted to designing the platform by which this new branch of government would function. This case study details the process and outcomes of this semester-long project.
Vergara’s book, Systemic Corruption, contains an extremely detailed proposal for a fourth branch of government. This branch—called the Plebeian Branch—would renew the power of the people in democratic societies. But how would the activities of the Plebeian Branch be coordinated? What kind of technological infrastructure would be required? The idea is that all citizens of a given country would be much more involved in the decisions that are made about their lives. Vergara gives the Plebeian Branch the poetic moniker “the people-as-network.” But it’s hard to imagine how this plebeian branch would work without a corresponding technological system. The goal of this project is to interpret Vergara’s writing through a possible technological system.
Assembly Member
Assemblies are the core political decision-making body in Vergara’s conception of a future democracy. Anyone who is a citizen can register to be a member of their local assembly, and each assembly is composed of roughly 450-600 members. Assemblies initiate and propose new laws as well as the repeal of existing laws; they propose constitutional amendments; and, they can initiate the process of punishing elected officials for corruption.
If the Plebeian Branch of government were to exist in the US there would be roughly 660,000 assemblies throughout the United States. If these assemblies are to be the core political body of a new democracy, directly making more of the decisions about the things that affect their lives, assemblies need to interact with each other to pass laws or amend the constitution, especially when laws go beyond the boundaries of a single municipality or state. How would these assemblies communicate with each other? What kind of platform would they need?
Council Person
Each assembly is managed by a council, and the council people are chosen by lottery from the members of the assembly. The council administers the assembly’s affairs, ensuring the assembly functions smoothly and its deliberations adhere to certain community norms.
Initial Sketch
Wireframe
Final Prototype
Tina’s Story
Tina is an assembly person in East Lansing, MI. She wants to make change in her community by proposing a law which states that all ground water in Michigan is a public resource and cannot be privatized. To do this she logs into her Plebeian Branch account and uses the system to write up a proposal for her Assembly’s Council Members.
Shana’s Story
Shana is a Council Person for an East Lansing Assembly, of which Tina is part of. Upon completion of Tina’s ground water proposal, Shana is given an alert informing her that she is in charge of reviewing Tina’s submission. Shana reviews the proposal and decides to download it so she can move it along in the agenda for the upcoming assembly meeting.