The digital document is dying. Since the invention of the desktop metaphor over 40 years ago, the document has been a central element in the organisation and representation of digital work. On the one hand, the document is a technical concept. But above all, it is a mental model that has had a lasting impact on how we imagine the digital space.

Different types of data, information and media can be combined into a single conceptual entity that we call a document. These documents are then represented as icons at the operating system level. They have a visual presence and can literally be moved, archived, imported, sent and edited.

The digital document still exists in this form today. But it is no longer the only way in which our work is represented on the computer. Smartphones do not need a desktop and hide documents in apps. Certain digital formats (such as photographs) are only accessible via dedicated applications. Concepts like versioning and collaboration create additional complexity. Software as a Service (SaaS) often exists without any reference to documents.

The central question in this course is therefore: what will document management look and work like in the future? What possibilities for access, management, collaboration, and representation are conceivable? Is it possible to develop a central mental model that does justice to the heterogeneity of data, media, services, networks, and storage locations? What might the virtual place where documents appear look like? The methodological framework of this course will be research, creativity, and imagination.