Purposeobject

Purposeobject is a term used in theoretical discussions of action design and human-computer interaction to denote a self-contained artifact that encodes a specific purpose and the rules for pursuing it. A purposeobject typically comprises a goal statement, a set of constraints or preferences, and criteria for success, and it can be used by agents to guide decision-making and evaluation.

Origins and usage are relatively new and not yet standardized. The term appears in discussions about modular goal specification for AI systems, as well as in design and governance literature that emphasizes clear articulation of intended outcomes.

Characteristics include an explicit goal description, defined constraints and preferences, measurable success criteria, and auditable provenance. Purposeobjects are designed to be assignable to agents, reusable across tasks, and maintainable across state changes when updated by authorized actors.

Applications include guiding autonomous agents to align actions with human intentions, documenting intended outcomes in product development, and supporting governance and review processes that require traceable decision criteria.

Relation to related concepts: a purposeobject differs from a general object in programming by its primary function as a goal-bearing artifact; it relates to objective functions in optimization and to mission statements in organizational design.

Example: A delivery robot uses a purposeobject with the title DeliverMedicalSupplies, specifying the goal "deliver within 20 minutes," constraints such as "avoid restricted zones" and "maintain battery > 20%," and success criteria "arrival within 20 minutes and proof of delivery."