A Bit More on Good 2.0 Design
by Bill Ives
Paula Thorton recently wrote in Experience Design 2.0, “2.0 thinking is more dynamic — it requires deconstructing the ‘barriers’ and identifying the conditions by which the barriers can be removed. The planning for the Rave event embraced this concept.” I would agree. Web 2.0 and Enterprise 2.0 open up greater possibilities for a number of other good design principles.
For example, last November Paul Graham spoke at the Berkman Center. As the notice said, “In a recent essay, “Taste for Makers,” Paul argues that successful design, from math to software to painting, relies on the same aesthetic principles. Taste is therefore not a matter of subjectively appreciating fine works but is a required capability for creating great software or useful events. I tend to judge event design from an aesthetic, as much as a pedagogical, view.
The essay shares some very interesting design principles that apply to software design, as well as art, that can be useful for Enterprise 2.0 initiatives. Paul has experience in both art and software. Here are a few concepts from the piece. Good design is simple. Good design solves the right problem. Good design is suggestive. I have found that the best examples of both software and events follow these criteria. There are many more principles carefully defined with examples.
Wikis are a good example of these concepts. Brian Lamb quoted Charlie Mingus in his essay on wikis. “Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity. “ This should be one of the guiding principles in designing enterprise 2.0 applications, using wikis or other tools. Take a look at what Paul wrote. It is full of good reminders.
