everything you know about web design is wrong

EVERYTHINGYOU KNOW ABOUT WEB DESIGN IS

WRONGDan Willis, Sapient

South by Southwest 2009

Print in disguise

Print in disguise

Everything we know about

Web designis all that we knew about

print design

Birth of a Nation, 1915

“... a new way of communicating a feeling, an idea, a fact - one plus oneequaled three.”

Daniel Arijon, Grammarof the Film Language

“one plus one equaled THREE”The grammar of transcendent

Web design

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

Random voyeurism

“... Found notes and letters open up the

entire range of human experience; they offer

a shortcut directly to

people’s minds and hearts

...

we feel connected to this person we’ve never

met before and probably never will, and in

turn, to all people.”

Davy Rothbart, creator of Found Magazine

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

The grammar of transcendentWeb design

Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

“This reflects a fundamental

shift in power from author to reader and from authority to popularity.”

Peter Morville, Ambient Findability

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

The grammar of transcendentWeb design

User-created context

User-created context

User-created context

User-created context

“When you try to control the

interaction and tightly manipulate the

outcome of the experience,

customers tend to

rebel.”

Adaptive Path’s Subject to Change

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

The grammar of transcendentWeb design

Am

bien

t aw

aren

ess

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

The grammar of transcendentWeb design

Experiential content

• Ambient awareness

• User-created context

• Random voyeurism

• Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

• Experiential content

The grammar of transcendentWeb design

Car bombkills 4

Terrorism

Middle East

Explosions

2009 attacks

Israeli/Palestinianrelations

Syria

Oil

IRA

Hezbollah Munitions Nobel PeacePrize winners

2008 attacks

“We're in the midst of an evolution, not a revolution.”

- James Levine

Tbsp Unsalted Butter1 Cup Andouille Sausage1/2 Cup Onion, Diced1/2 Cup Bell Pepper, Diced1/2 Cup Celery, Diced2 Tbsp. Garlic, Minced1/2 Cup Tomatoes, Diced1/4 Cup Tomato Sauce1 1/4 Cup Chicken Stock3/4 Cup Enriched Rice1 Cup Chicken breast2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 1/4 teaspoon ground sage 1 teaspoon file powder 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/2 teaspoon white pepper 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Tips for Transcendent Web Design

•Organize cross-discipline teams; exploit and protect expertise

•Design for specific users and their specific needs

•Embrace your ignorance

•Don’t be distracted by business models that don’t begin and end with the user

•Don’t be distracted by technology

•Don’t be distracted by failure

ARTICLE - http://www.dswillis.com/sxsw/everything.pdf

eMail - dan@dswillis.comTwitter - @uxcrank