From Black Boxes to Dialogue Boxes: Reimagining Platform Accountability through Participatory Service Design

As digital platforms increasingly permeate public governance systems, existing accountability mechanisms remain predominantly constrained to information disclosure and technical transparency approaches. This narrow focus systematically overlooks the critical dimensions of public participation and social interaction in accountability processes. To address this gap, this paper introduces a ‘Dialogue Box Generation Framework’ that integrates participatory service design methodologies to fundamentally reconstruct platform accountability logic. The framework comprises three interconnected modules: (1) a context-aware interface co-construction module that dynamically couples institutional requirements with user experience through scenario mapping and multi-stakeholder modeling; (2) an accountability relationship modeling and tracking module that establishes multi-role accountability chains via semantic graphs and interpretable algorithms; and (3) a design-mediated dialogue mechanism that facilitates continuous negotiation among users, administrators, and designers through narrative guidance and collaborative editing interfaces. By systematically integrating design methods into platform governance processes, this framework creates an accountability system that is perceptible, traceable, and negotiable through co-construction. Empirical evaluation demonstrates that this approach significantly enhances users’ comprehension of accountability chains and substantially increases their willingness to engage in platform governance processes.