Transcript
Page 1: Making Design By Committee Work

The Pros and Cons of Open Source Design

@Mushon.com Oct 09

Making“Design By Committee”

Work

Thursday, October 15, 2009

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Open source is great!What about

Open source design?

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1. Scratch an itch

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1. Scratch an itch

• OS motivation - personal interest in(and low costs for) collaboration

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1. Scratch an itch

• OS motivation - personal interest in(and low costs for) collaboration

• OSD motivation - not so straight-forward

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1. Scratch an itch

• OS motivation - personal interest in(and low costs for) collaboration

• OSD motivation - not so straight-forward

• Chicken & Egg - Designers don’t use OSS

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Encoding/DecodingStuart Hall 1980

2. Language

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Encodingframeworkof knowledge

A

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Mutual Language

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Decodingframeworkof knowledge

B

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Encoding

Decoding

AA

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A

Encoding

Decoding

ERRORB

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AA A

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A

AA

A

A

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Encoding

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Encoding

• Defining a language (code) is key in design (graphic, color, layout, animation, interaction...)

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Encoding

• Defining a language (code) is key in design (graphic, color, layout, animation, interaction...)

• Coding without a shared language (code) is impossible

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Encoding

• Defining a language (code) is key in design (graphic, color, layout, animation, interaction...)

• Coding without a shared language (code) is impossible

• Setting collaboration standards is essential

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Encoding

• Defining a language (code) is key in design (graphic, color, layout, animation, interaction...)

• Coding without a shared language (code) is impossible

• Setting collaboration standards is essential

• Standardization VS. Innovation

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Decoding

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Decoding

• Code either executes or it doesn’t,but a message interpretation isn’t binary

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Decoding

• Code either executes or it doesn’t,but a message interpretation isn’t binary

• Inconsistent design fragments the message (our brains can’t really multitask)

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Decoding

• Code either executes or it doesn’t,but a message interpretation isn’t binary

• Inconsistent design fragments the message (our brains can’t really multitask)

• Wikipedia’s has a largely rational guidelines for decision making, design’s doesn’t

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3. Granularity

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

• Allows for varied contribution:

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

• Allows for varied contribution:

• Accessible ladder of contribution

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

• Allows for varied contribution:

• Accessible ladder of contribution

• History

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

• Allows for varied contribution:

• Accessible ladder of contribution

• History

• Moderation

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3. Granularity

• In coding (software) and writing (wikis) the building block is granular - a character

• Allows for varied contribution:

• Accessible ladder of contribution

• History

• Moderation

• Transparency

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(would I be wasting your time if I thought so?)

So is it simply undoable?

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Resource sharing/ Open Culture

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Wordpress 2.5admin by HappyCog

Wordpress 2.7Modified by the Wordpress team

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Fixing it: 1. Scratch an itch

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Fixing it: 1. Scratch an itch

• Price is always itching, but it’s not enough

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Fixing it: 1. Scratch an itch

• Price is always itching, but it’s not enough

• We can’t force the use of bad tools as an ideologic statement

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Fixing it: 1. Scratch an itch

• Price is always itching, but it’s not enough

• We can’t force the use of bad tools as an ideologic statement

• Some success in webdesign / Wordpress

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Fixing it: 1. Scratch an itch

• Price is always itching, but it’s not enough

• We can’t force the use of bad tools as an ideologic statement

• Some success in webdesign / Wordpress

• Still very code-based

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Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Encoding:

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Encoding:

• 1st step:Conduct a networked research(we already have collaborative tools for that)

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Encoding:

• 1st step:Conduct a networked research(we already have collaborative tools for that)

• 2nd step:Define a modular and extensible language* Support simple inheritance (like in CSS)

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Encoding:

• 1st step:Conduct a networked research(we already have collaborative tools for that)

• 2nd step:Define a modular and extensible language* Support simple inheritance (like in CSS)

• 3rd step: Document the language (style guides)

Fixing it:2. Language

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Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

• Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

• Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:

• UX research

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

• Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:

• UX research

• Technical aspects of design

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

• Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:

• UX research

• Technical aspects of design

• Design best practices (in typography, use of icons, interaction paradigms...)

Fixing it:2. Language

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Collaborative Decoding:

• Some design decisions are rational, and can achieve consensus, like:

• UX research

• Technical aspects of design

• Design best practices (in typography, use of icons, interaction paradigms...)

• Blogs share resources and documentation

Fixing it:2. Language

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Fixing it: 3. Granularity

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Fixing it: 3. Granularity

• When possible, use granular building blocks - namely: use code

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Fixing it: 3. Granularity

• When possible, use granular building blocks - namely: use code

• Get designers on version control systems

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Fixing it: 3. Granularity

• When possible, use granular building blocks - namely: use code

• Get designers on version control systems

• Put all master files online

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Fixing it: 3. Granularity

• When possible, use granular building blocks - namely: use code

• Get designers on version control systems

• Put all master files online

• Explore file non-code versioning (Dropbox?, Alienbrain?)

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We can’t just sprinkle design with the magic pixie dust of

“Open Source”

@Mushon.com Oct 09

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Collaboration is hard!Let’s make it easier.

Suggestions?

@Mushon.com Oct 09

Thursday, October 15, 2009