Hi
I was just watching a Channel 9 session about Open Space, an idea where attendees to a conference come together to discuss topics they find interesting. The thing about this is that it’s about the audience providing the content rather than the key speakers and that means the audience get to express their selves.
It reminds me of how important it is to people to have an avenue of self expression. Whether it is the colours we wear, the music we listen to, or what we say, pretty much every part of our lives is impacted by this almost primal desire to express ourselves. The same is true within software.
In software, many people are influenced. Whether it be the development team, the business people who fund it, the customer, or the end user. Hey, even the people who have nothing to do with the software but are affected by the business processes the software supports, everyone is affected in some way by software. But this is where these two ideas come together.
How are people expressing themselves through this software? Thinking about how people will express themselves while using the software is so very helpful in making great software. Why? Because it allows people to do things their way, to demonstrate their understanding, and to allow others to know who they are.
How does your software allow your customers to express themselves? Does your software allow your company and the people within it to express themselves? Human beings are relational and expressive. Keep this in mind when designing your next user experience.
Kind Regards
Glenn
