“it is in the human spirit to both belong
and to be different at the same time.”

I am very pleased to notice that more and more designers are coming to the revelation that design is not so much about self-expression, but rather about purpose, change, and creative innovation.
This awareness combined with the definition of “Social” (collaborative similarities for the cause of purpose and direction with a sense of belonging) is the fuel for worldly revolution and betterment for mankind.

Taking this understanding and combining it with the development of online and mobile applications is the lubricant that moistens the crafting of design- that is, if we truly understand that it is in our power to create fun, meaningful and purpose driven experiences via the social channel. To move this development with seamless and almost effortless steam, it is extremely important to welcome our users with immediate interactivity and propel them into the application with the greatest of ease and enjoyment.

We are able to do this if we can successfully:

Captivate the User
By the display of identity alignment and value driven wizardry to project a clear and concise purpose of the application. This is accomplished by leveraging both quantitative and qualitative content that is readily identifiable by people based on its simplicity and educated results based on early and repetitive testing.
Because it is very important for a user to feel aligned with their selective social channel, it is just as important to allow them the honor of ownership over their membership in the application. After all, it is “their” membership in “their social channel”. By doing this, you are injecting purposeful usability and confidence into the user.

Consistency of Brand Association and/ or Design
With the integration of various social channels and stations, the temptation to develop something “original” and “different” can tend to linger over a designer’s head while they seek to create their own integrated piece of the social web. This tactic can actually backfire and create disruption in the integrated flow of things. Your best bet is to keep your development in accordance to the standards and design patterns that have already been laid if you desire to mingle with them. This provides the user with easy to user interactive flow and does not bring up any unnecessary cause for alarm. However, having said this, this is not the rule- but rather a best practice. The Creator forbid that we should be the hindrance to creative innovation due to our rules and regulations of design. It is important to let the design process flow naturally and then retract if we have to, rather then putting all the red tape up at the beginning to stump true growth.

Make it Personal
A user’s profile page (and even their overall page layout and aesthetics) are theirs and theirs alone. Give it to them and don’t block them them from personalizing their own private portion of the social web. Even though they are apart of the bigger picture and desire to associate themselves with others, everyone wants to feel special and be and individual. Remember, it is in the human spirit to both belong and to be different at the same time.

Make Peer Interaction Transparent
Even though a user may not be a friend of a friend’s friend (try saying that 5 times in a row: “friend of a friend’s friend”), one will still want to see what others are saying, even if it doesn’t involve them. This is the benefit of the social web. I as a user do not have to be everyone’s friend just because we are in the same social network, however, I may still want to see what’s going on in the general digital public to glean any information of value that might benefit me or to simply monitor the overall moral of the group. Remember, you can be in a room full of people, enjoying their company and pseudo listening to things, but you don’t have to be directly involved in every conversation.

Encourage Interactivity & Community
Leave every opportunity open for people to freely browse through other profiles, news, updates and various content. If too much content is stifled or private, this stunts group conversation. Think of the social web like an apartment building. Everyone has their own rooms, but are free to gather together at the main lobby to meet up, read the bulletins, get rides with others, etc. There needs to be a place where people can publicly gather for group interaction and idea sharing…which leads us to the next point.

Problem Solving on any Scale
By providing a free, open and transparent community for your users, more often then not, someone will pose an issue to the group hoping for an answer or to simply stimulate conversation. How many times have you witnessed someone pose a question on Twitter and seen the various responses from people that ended up in a half-hour to and hour conversation. The findings are incredible and I know that I for one am the more education and better-off because of it.

In short, the proper combination of design and social implementation not only provides a free market for users to openly engage in, but is also the free platform to promote and encourage change on a worldly scale that can not be measured. It is the starting point of unity when people come together for the purpose of invoking new uncharted steps towards a better world and a better mankind.

We have so far to go.

brett lutchman