Origins of unavailable contextual information in tracking interfaces

Determine whether the unavailability to users of courier trajectories, batching logic, and related contextual information results primarily from usability constraints, information complexity, organizational priorities, commercial incentives, or deliberate platform design choices.

Background

The paper argues that delivery platforms possess contextual logistical data, including courier trajectories and batching logic, but do not expose much of it through user-facing interfaces. This selective visibility contributes to the observed shift of interpretive and explanatory burdens onto users and couriers.

The interview-based methodology cannot establish why the information remains unavailable. The authors identify several possible explanations—including usability requirements, complexity, organizational priorities, commercial incentives, and intentional design—but leave their relative importance unresolved.

References

Second, courier trajectories and batching logic are, by necessity, available to the platform for dispatch purposes; why they remain unavailable to users is a question our interview data cannot resolve, and we flag this as a limitation rather than a claim we can substantiate.

— When Data Becomes Judgment: Misaligned Interpretations and Accountability in Food Delivery Platforms  (2609.39311 - Meng et al., 30 Sep 2026) in Discussion, Section 5.2, “Platform Design as a Burden-Shifting Mechanism”