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Summary
What if we applied our experience design and research skills to a new domain: designing communities? Historically, UX hasn’t paid attention to community as a solution space. And yet… at a business level: products, brands and creators build community to deepen their bonds with users and customers. At an organisation level: the best teams are modelled on communities. At a personal level: community brings meaning to our world, in our neighbourhoods and our personal interests. In this session, we’ll explore what's involved in creating and sustaining healthy communities. We’ll draw on the wealth of knowledge in fields as diverse as economics, network theory, social work and the design of cities, and on case studies of community efforts like Burning Man, Parkrun and Meetups. At the end, you'll have a good idea of how you might apply your skills to creating communities, whether in your organization, your brand, or your life outside of work. We'll introduce our toolkit, and show you how you could get involved in our project. Finally...let’s acknowledge that many people in UX are demoralised about their work right now. They’re in roles that underutilise their skills, they’re feeling undervalued, or are working on products they don’t love. Using your skills to build community might be just the change you need.
Key Insights
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Community can be intentionally designed using skills that UX designers already possess.
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A sense of belonging is a foundational aspect of any community, whether large or small.
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Community building often involves iterative processes similar to product design, such as discovery and prototyping.
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Ethical considerations are crucial in community design to avoid exploitative practices.
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Communities thrive on shared purpose and active engagement from members over time.
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The principles of 'fostering belonging' and 'safe sharing' are critical in creating healthy communities.
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Success in community design is often measured through engagement and reciprocity, rather than mere membership numbers.
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Communities can have various life cycles and require succession planning to sustain them beyond initial enthusiasm.
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Designing a community is akin to gardening, where growth is nurtured rather than mechanistically controlled.
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Public-private partnerships can effectively sustain community initiatives by balancing commercial viability with social value.
Notable Quotes
"If you can design an app, you can design a community."
"Community is profoundly important but also quite challenging."
"We often try and introduce friction to ensure what we create is a safe space."
"It's not just about designing, it's about the stories we share and the connections we build."
"A minimum viable community is just as important as a minimum viable product."
"Communities can propagate in sizes, emphasizing smaller, intimate groups over mass membership."
"The first follower principle indicates the importance of early adopters in community evolution."
"Loneliness has health impacts comparable to smoking, underscoring the necessity for community."
"Creating communities requires careful ethical considerations to prevent emotional damage to participants."
"Community building is a labor of love that benefits everyone involved."
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