Snap Notes: Social Interface Design – Some Suggested Guidelines

1) The personal value of a service precedes its network/social value. Is your service valuable even if a user’s friends don’t use it?

2) Tie behavior to identity (Examples: Amazon user reviews, Ebay seller feedback).

3) Give recognition (Example: Top Diggers). It’s better when the recognition is given by the group itself, and when the recognition isn’t permanent or cumulative, so new users/contributors aren’t disadvantaged.

4) Show causation – Let the user know what his/her action is doing (Example: Providing Netflix with ratings helps them make better recommendations for the user). Even experts want to be reminded of the “rules”.

5) Leverage reciprocity. People contribute/post comments not because they are purely altruistic, even if they say they are. In the end, they want their comments to be read - it’s all about “ME.” Be cognizant of that “give and take”. (Example: Yelp users later said they wanted to see how many people were reading their review/profile.)