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Designing for the Social Web by Joshua Porter
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First published February 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
June 18, 2010
The book is just AMAZING. So simple yet so strong. It describes how you can design social websites and it has some great tips. What I loved the most is that Porter describes how people feel and talks a lot about how the website elements affect people's feelings and reactions.
January 21, 2024
Great primer on how social features can enhance the user experience on the web.
May 9, 2010
Don't be mislead by the title: Joshua Porter's book is primarily about social psychology and the impact this has on web-based software. Design is the set of considerations you need to need to create the desired behaviour.
The first part of the book is about taking potential users from Unaware (of your app) to Passionate Use, and the stages they pass through to get there.
Porter uses the increasingly standard model of the Social Object - the things people manipulate on a site. This he fits into the AOF, "Activities, Objects, Features" framework: first define what your users do, then what they do them with (the social objects), then - last - decide on your features. There's a straightforward, practical description of how to follow this.
The least design-related topic is Authentic Conversations. This reflects the fact the growing power consumers have in online social networks makes opacity and a vendor-centric selfishness is becoming an increasingly weak business model. The case studies of Dreamhost, Dell and JetBlue customer service catastrophes highlights this well.
Handling signups on a site is given the most design focus. His pattern is to follow the "journalism technique": make sure your site answers Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why? and How? I found his choice of real-world examples highlighted this well, eg Apple's use of demo videos to show How an iPhone works before it was a widely-understood product.
The chapter Design for Collective Intelligence I found quite weak, however. He talks about complex adaptive systems, but the bulk of it is more a description of social objects, and underplays the most complex part of the system: the network of real users. I'm not qualified to comment on complex adaptive systems, but I was left wondering if the author is either.
Porter goes on to write a bizarrely disconnected chapter on designing to encourage sharing. It would have been more understandable slotted into the user engagement flow in the earlier part of the book. But, worse, I found it highly self-promotional. His arguments would be much stronger if he hadn't held up his own work as examples of best practice.
The last chapter, about funnel analysis and using metrics, also feels out of place. It doesn't warrant a chapter of its own, given that it goes into relatively little depth. There's more than enough material on the web about this.
There are some really valuable bits of information about here, especially some of the psychology/sociology references. But it is a bit uneven, with some topics not being given the depth they deserve, and some (eg signup) possibly too much. While it's short length makes it a quick introduction, I think it needs a more substantial second edition. If you want a quick read on some of the recent social design ideas, this might be a good place to start. But I got a lot more from the (admittedly much bigger) combination of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations and Designing Social Interfaces: Principles, Patterns, and Practices for Improving the User Experience.
[I originally gave this 3 stars, but I must have just been in a narky mood, because I've already recommended it to five people...:]
The first part of the book is about taking potential users from Unaware (of your app) to Passionate Use, and the stages they pass through to get there.
Porter uses the increasingly standard model of the Social Object - the things people manipulate on a site. This he fits into the AOF, "Activities, Objects, Features" framework: first define what your users do, then what they do them with (the social objects), then - last - decide on your features. There's a straightforward, practical description of how to follow this.
The least design-related topic is Authentic Conversations. This reflects the fact the growing power consumers have in online social networks makes opacity and a vendor-centric selfishness is becoming an increasingly weak business model. The case studies of Dreamhost, Dell and JetBlue customer service catastrophes highlights this well.
Handling signups on a site is given the most design focus. His pattern is to follow the "journalism technique": make sure your site answers Who?, What?, Where?, When?, Why? and How? I found his choice of real-world examples highlighted this well, eg Apple's use of demo videos to show How an iPhone works before it was a widely-understood product.
The chapter Design for Collective Intelligence I found quite weak, however. He talks about complex adaptive systems, but the bulk of it is more a description of social objects, and underplays the most complex part of the system: the network of real users. I'm not qualified to comment on complex adaptive systems, but I was left wondering if the author is either.
Porter goes on to write a bizarrely disconnected chapter on designing to encourage sharing. It would have been more understandable slotted into the user engagement flow in the earlier part of the book. But, worse, I found it highly self-promotional. His arguments would be much stronger if he hadn't held up his own work as examples of best practice.
The last chapter, about funnel analysis and using metrics, also feels out of place. It doesn't warrant a chapter of its own, given that it goes into relatively little depth. There's more than enough material on the web about this.
There are some really valuable bits of information about here, especially some of the psychology/sociology references. But it is a bit uneven, with some topics not being given the depth they deserve, and some (eg signup) possibly too much. While it's short length makes it a quick introduction, I think it needs a more substantial second edition. If you want a quick read on some of the recent social design ideas, this might be a good place to start. But I got a lot more from the (admittedly much bigger) combination of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations and Designing Social Interfaces: Principles, Patterns, and Practices for Improving the User Experience.
[I originally gave this 3 stars, but I must have just been in a narky mood, because I've already recommended it to five people...:]
February 15, 2009
In his book, Joshua Porter targets intermediate to advanced designers who already know the basics and are seeking ways to improve their design skills, especially pertaining (but not limited) to social networking oriented sites.
There are two main themes in this book, the psychology of motivation and what he calls the usage lifecycle. As he goes through each design element, he discusses the psychological drivers behind that design element and how you can leverage those drivers. For example, one way that you can encourage participation is to capitalize on the human need for reciprocity.
The chapters are well organized. First, he establishes that social web sites are a growing, significant trend. Next, he sets up a foundation for social web design. After that, he makes the marketing case for authentic conversations. The following chapters are devoted to designing for registration, ongoing participation, collective intelligence, and sharing. The final chapter talks about measuring goal conversion with funnel analysis.
I bought this book with the expectation that it would stimulate new ideas for my own web properties and, to that affect, I would call it a success. For example, I have a bookmarking feature on a collective intelligence application that I am now considering re-branding as a sharing feature instead.
There are two main themes in this book, the psychology of motivation and what he calls the usage lifecycle. As he goes through each design element, he discusses the psychological drivers behind that design element and how you can leverage those drivers. For example, one way that you can encourage participation is to capitalize on the human need for reciprocity.
The chapters are well organized. First, he establishes that social web sites are a growing, significant trend. Next, he sets up a foundation for social web design. After that, he makes the marketing case for authentic conversations. The following chapters are devoted to designing for registration, ongoing participation, collective intelligence, and sharing. The final chapter talks about measuring goal conversion with funnel analysis.
I bought this book with the expectation that it would stimulate new ideas for my own web properties and, to that affect, I would call it a success. For example, I have a bookmarking feature on a collective intelligence application that I am now considering re-branding as a sharing feature instead.
March 1, 2014
Designing for the Social Web is an engaging look at social behavior. Joshua Porter deftly covers both the anecdotal, insightful and research based insights about the keys to the social web.
This is one of those books where the clarity may in fact hinder it from being taken fully serious. By focusing on a clear approach applicable to practitioners and summarizing as opposed to focusing on the research foundations, the book became more accessible and usable.
Here six years after publication the book is still relevant. The case studies might lend a bit too much toward Delicious, once a paragon of the social web, but ultimately the social framework chapter, as well as the 'design for collaborative intelligence' chapter. Make this book immensely valuable.
The one mistake made in this book is in the usage lifecycle. The idea that the ultimate step for social web is emotional attachment is a mistake often made in literature. 1. It's not proven that your most emotionally attached customers are your best customers, 2. many products and services don't lend themselves to emotional attachment and still succeed, 3. Pursuing passion from your customers is often a red herring, passionate users is an outcome not an ingredient.
This is one of those books where the clarity may in fact hinder it from being taken fully serious. By focusing on a clear approach applicable to practitioners and summarizing as opposed to focusing on the research foundations, the book became more accessible and usable.
Here six years after publication the book is still relevant. The case studies might lend a bit too much toward Delicious, once a paragon of the social web, but ultimately the social framework chapter, as well as the 'design for collaborative intelligence' chapter. Make this book immensely valuable.
The one mistake made in this book is in the usage lifecycle. The idea that the ultimate step for social web is emotional attachment is a mistake often made in literature. 1. It's not proven that your most emotionally attached customers are your best customers, 2. many products and services don't lend themselves to emotional attachment and still succeed, 3. Pursuing passion from your customers is often a red herring, passionate users is an outcome not an ingredient.
April 7, 2009
Well, first up, this has been the easiest read of any web book I've ever tackled. I *zoomed* through it. And the information is really interesting. Yes, quite a bit of it is common sense; yes, there's some repetition, but I think it's an excellent introduction to how people behave online. It's a book that would be useful not only for people developing social networks, but people attempting to achieve anything online.
It's also - apparently contrary to the title - not just for designers. The design that's being talked about covers every aspect of a site's design - from the initial idea and approach, through system design, form design and graphic design, and I would recommend it to anyone who is working with websites, or thinking of starting up a web project. Excellent examples, easy to read, not too long, plus a wealth of links for further reading.
It's also - apparently contrary to the title - not just for designers. The design that's being talked about covers every aspect of a site's design - from the initial idea and approach, through system design, form design and graphic design, and I would recommend it to anyone who is working with websites, or thinking of starting up a web project. Excellent examples, easy to read, not too long, plus a wealth of links for further reading.
February 12, 2012
Finally, a good book on social media! The last few books I’ve read were all style and no substance, and I was getting weary of even trying new ones, so this was a breath of fresh air. It was actually useful, not just impressive-looking.
Not so much about practical design as it is about psychology applied to making smart choices about your web software, this book touches on many interesting aspects of building online apps and leveraging people’s need to be social. It looks at why people feel the need to participate, how you can encourage sharing without being pushy about it, and how to determine the problems people have with your site.
The only drawback is that, sadly, in the fast-moving world of today, this 2007 book is already showing signs of being outdated. It’s a little hard not to wince when the author talks about MySpace as the epitome of social media.
Not so much about practical design as it is about psychology applied to making smart choices about your web software, this book touches on many interesting aspects of building online apps and leveraging people’s need to be social. It looks at why people feel the need to participate, how you can encourage sharing without being pushy about it, and how to determine the problems people have with your site.
The only drawback is that, sadly, in the fast-moving world of today, this 2007 book is already showing signs of being outdated. It’s a little hard not to wince when the author talks about MySpace as the epitome of social media.
July 19, 2009
While reading the introduction I had a short moment thinking "oh please, not another "social web=twitter, facebook & co" book", after a couple of chapters I realized that this book can be a quite valuable reference for designing social interactions. Joshua continously keeps providing you with tips and hints that sometimes may sound trivial at first, but are often forgot during the design process. This book is quick and easy to read and - although not overwhelmingly inspiring - definitely a good guide to get the basics right and design great social interactions.
August 31, 2011
This is an excellent book that covers many of the aspects of web design often forgotten about or not understood by university computer science lecturers and high school computing studies teachers. As a teacher I would use this book in my classroom to inspire students to see the depth of thought that needs to go into modern web design. I also think that teachers setting coursework could do with more of these techniques when curating their content. The Usage Lifecycle in the Introduction could alone provide much inspiration for anyone designing websites or web content.
March 10, 2011
This book is a few years old now, but I'm stroke by how few companies are actually doing these basics around designing for social experiences that Mr. Porter lays out. Every page is chock full of good design nuggets.
Read
March 10, 2014Basically applying social psychology to web app design. Heavy referencing to Cialdini and borrowing some ideas from persuasive technology field as well. Meaty and worthwhile parts on designing sign up and doing funnel analytics.
April 4, 2015
One of very few practical, Objective, facts & statistics based book
i highly recommend it
its only issue is being a bit outdated in terms of new social media apps, however core concepts are very useful
i highly recommend it
its only issue is being a bit outdated in terms of new social media apps, however core concepts are very useful
June 7, 2008
fully recommend for those interested in social web communication & social network start-ups
February 17, 2009
good overview of the basics.
April 16, 2009
Clear and simple,
December 18, 2009
not done reading this yet, but learning that psychology is a very important component to compelling website design!
November 7, 2010
Good book, maybe a bit simplistic, but still a good use of two hours of your life
September 6, 2021
This book is great. I will recommend to my friends.
November 7, 2012
Psychology + design = social design
March 30, 2013
A must-read book on product design for knowledge workers and entrepreneurs.
January 2, 2016
This book has excellent information. The references are a bit outdated since it was published in 2008, but it's still very useful.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews