This workshop at MeshU 2008 focuses on ways to start projects and then take your work through phases of refinement and adjustment. Looking at examples from Digg, Pownce, and elsewhere, we'll talk about creating a visual language, adapting to user feedback, and iterating your web projects over time.

1. Photo Credit: kevindooley
Evolution of your
Design
Iteration & You
Designing Adaptable Websites
Daniel Burka – Digg Creative Director – Pownce Co-founder

2. Credit: Martin_Heigan
Your design sucks
Trust me, you can do better

3. Credit: Mark Trammell
aka chasingfun
Are you in or out?
contract work vs in-house design

4. Read this book
Stewart Brand - How Buildings Learn

5. High road
architecture

6. High road
website

7. Low road
architecture

8. Low road
Website

9. Look what you can do!
Build yourself a castle in no time!

10. Establish a visual language
Avoid the Tower of Babel

12. Example from Pownce

15. Mezzoblue Mozilla Digg
(thanks Dave!!)

21. Desire paths
Don’t try to predict everything
Credit: Phil Gyford

22. Adapt to Scale
It’s a great problem to have

23. Subtraction is iteration too
Try to remove as much as you add
Credit: Rev Dan Catt

27. Realign, don’t Redesign
Cameron Moll is clever
Credit: kk+ (flickr)

28. “Every time I hear a designer say the word
innovation I reach for my revolver....
so I can shoot them in the face”
Stuart Butterfield, Flickr
March, 2008

29. Make time for iteration
Don’t overbook yourself on new stuff
Don’t hesitate to release
Credit: Jeremy Keith

30. Don’t panic!
Listen and learn carefully before reacting

31. Low road design is much easier to adapt
Realign, don’t redesign
Create a visual language and iterate it
You can’t predict all eventualities
Remove as much as you add
Don’t be over reactive
Make time for iteration

32. A case study
Digg comments system
2005-2008

33. 2005

34. Doesn’t scale 2005

35. Limited functionality
Doesn’t scale 2005

36. Data isn’t very compact
Limited functionality
Doesn’t scale 2005

37. Design is awfully literal
Data isn’t very compact
Limited functionality
Doesn’t scale 2005

38. 2006

39. Still doesn’t scale that well 2006

40. Nesting confuses novices
Still doesn’t scale that well 2006

41. Nesting too basic for experts
Nesting confuses novices
Still doesn’t scale that well 2006

42. Top posting rampant
Nesting too basic for experts
Nesting confuses novices
Still doesn’t scale that well 2006

43. 2007

44. Scales! ... but slower UI 2007

45. Nesting! ... but cluttered
Scales! ... but slower UI 2007

46. Interactions awkward
Nesting! ... but cluttered
Scales! ... but slower UI 2007

47. Hard to locate your comments
Interactions awkward
Nesting! ... but cluttered
Scales! ... but slower UI 2007

48. 2008

49. Scales better... much faster 2008

50. More functionality, less clutter
Scales better... much faster 2008

51. Interactions stronger
More functionality, less clutter
Scales better... much faster 2008

52. Start looking for cracks...
Interactions stronger
More functionality, less clutter
Scales better... much faster 2008

53. Adapt to survive
If iterative design isn’t instinctual, be convincing

54. Thanks! Questions?
Slides will be on deltatangobravo.com