An art, not a science

The key to deploying successful technology lies in concentrating your resources on turning the bewildering array of tools into useful, appealing services that people will understand and enjoy.

The most important thing to remember when working with technology is that you are building a human system, not a machine. Technology can be used to speed up processes which are currently inefficient, or enable us to do new things which weren’t previously possible. But people aren’t mechanical, and chances are they will be looking for more than cold, hard-edged efficiency.

Peter Brownell, developer of Talk2Croydon and Intelligent Giving and Co-founder of Code Positive and School of Everything, sums it up like this:

“Programming has been analytical, a bit obsessive and interested in efficiency and utility. Software has evolved from hardware, from the sharp edges of the machine. Although interface and user experience has always been a factor, the objectives have been functional allowing rational, deductive logic to define priorities.

Soon, the technology will fade into the background and cease to play a major role in how software is created. When software is defined by users, rather than technology, a whole new set of skills are required. Humans are complex, their interactions rarely follow logical patterns, and small ‘non-essential’ bugs/features can have massive impact. When the aim is to facilitate the development of relationships, a developer will need to pay careful attention to emotional issues.”

Focus on functionality and features, but don’t lose sight of your overall purpose: to engage real people in real life activities. You can solve information problems and help people organise things, but unless people are connected emotionally to your tools, they won’t make full use of them.