Playgrounds over Paths

Today's standard design wisdom focuses on the design of linear paths. Sometimes they may branch, but they're ultimately a sequential set of steps towards a desired outcome.

Within complex systems, these paths often lack the flexibility to adapt to emergent conditions - users acting outside the "designed boundaries".

Instead of... See more

Above all, people need agency. They need to feel in control. Sometimes, that means designing for subversive behavior. I mean, isn't the most fun often had when you're breaking rules? But this is enormously difficult in software, where you must design almost everythingfrom scratch. Unlike life, you don't get a common repertoire of actions for free –... See more

We spent several years at Google ATAP , a research and development group inside Google that operated more like a lab than a product team. ATAP worked on technologies that were often five to ten years away from being viable for consumer products, which meant that outcomes were uncertain and success was rarely defined upfront. The group brought... See more