TY - GEN
T1 - Envisioning Alternative Futures for Delivery Work
T2 - Extended Abtracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2026
AU - Liu, Yuhan
AU - Rao, Varun Nagaraj
AU - Hwang, Sohyeon
AU - Vertesi, Janet
AU - Monroy-Hernández, Andrés
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2026 Copyright held by the owner/author(s).
PY - 2026/4/13
Y1 - 2026/4/13
N2 - In this vision paper, we outline a blueprint for a decentralized network for the delivery industry, powered by an open protocol. By presenting the network's key components and layers, alongside hypothetical scenarios, we illustrate how the network and the protocol may function in practice. Through this decentralized approach, we aim to address three major issues that mark the current platform-based delivery economy: power imbalances between the platform and workers, information asymmetries caused by opaque decision-making, and value misalignments. Our goal is to provoke dialogue and inspire future work toward more equitable, transparent, and worker-centered futures in the delivery industry, the broader gig economy, and related domains.
AB - In this vision paper, we outline a blueprint for a decentralized network for the delivery industry, powered by an open protocol. By presenting the network's key components and layers, alongside hypothetical scenarios, we illustrate how the network and the protocol may function in practice. Through this decentralized approach, we aim to address three major issues that mark the current platform-based delivery economy: power imbalances between the platform and workers, information asymmetries caused by opaque decision-making, and value misalignments. Our goal is to provoke dialogue and inspire future work toward more equitable, transparent, and worker-centered futures in the delivery industry, the broader gig economy, and related domains.
KW - Decentralized Sociotechnical System
KW - Gig Economy
KW - Protocol
KW - Speculative Design
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038117353
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038117353#tab=citedBy
U2 - 10.1145/3772363.3799319
DO - 10.1145/3772363.3799319
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:105038117353
T3 - Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings
BT - CHI 2026 - Extended Abtracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
A2 - Oliver, Nuria
A2 - Shamma, David A.
A2 - Candello, Heloisa
A2 - Cesar, Pablo
A2 - Lopes, Pedro
A2 - Artizzu, Valentino
A2 - Draxler, Fiona
A2 - Lopez, Gustavo
A2 - Reinschluessel, Anke V.
A2 - Tong, Xin
A2 - Toups Dugas, Phoebe O.
PB - Association for Computing Machinery
Y2 - 13 April 2026 through 17 April 2026
ER -