Designing for Social3 Do or Die Principles

Joshua Porter - Performable

@bokardo

Personal value precedes network value1http://www.flickr.com/photos/aarmono/393650534/

Del.icio.us Popular(social/network value)

My Del.icio.us(personal value)

Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles Joshua Porter

Ask these questions:

1. Can people use your software by themselves? Do they still get value from it?

2. If it is a social network play, are you emphasizing personal value as well?

3. Are you focusing on providing value before you’re expecting people to share?

Give people a sense of control2

“Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles

Bruce Schneier on Facebook & Privacy

Facebook members instinctively understood that making this information easier to display was an enormous difference, and that privacy is more about control than about secrecy.

Design changes to the deactivation page

accounted for 1 million members not leaving the

service.

Julie Zhou, Facebook

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/what_happens_when_you_deactivate_your_facebook_acc.php

http://flickr.com/groups/microcopy/microcopy examples:

Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles Joshua Porter

Giving people a sense of control

1. Opt-in or obviously opt-out.

2. Being in control of emotions is huge.

3. Get people over hurdles with microcopy.

Complex systems arise from simple ones3

“Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles

Gall’s Law

A complex system that works is invariably found to have evolved from a simple system that worked.

Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles Joshua Porter

So, look for simple things:

1. A social object that people collect & share

2. Take advantage of existing relationships

3. An activity with lots of pain

4. A tightly-knit monoculture

Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles Joshua Porter

Designing for Social: 3 Do or Die Principles

1. Personal value precedes network value

2. Give people a feeling of control

3. Complex systems arise from simple ones

Thank You!

Find/follow me: @bokardo