This presentation was given at UXCampDC 2011 and discussed the impact of social elements on applications. It poses questions and best practices on incorporating social user experiences.

1. Architecting Social Experiences: Principles, Patterns and Best Practices for Social Applications UXCampDC 2011

2. Who the heck is this dude? **Actor Fisher Stevens and Professional Snowboarder Steve Fisher beat me. My Personal Site: http://www.stevenfisher.co Based in Northern Virginia 15+ Years in Product Management, Marketing and User Experience Previous Products/Projects: Network Solutions, Appsolve, VISA, Sybase, Slipstream Air, Federated Power Steven Fisher (#3 out of 546 Steven Fisher’s on the Web**) This Presentation: http://www.slideshare.net/stevenfisher Currently, at SapientNitro doing Information Architecture and Experience Design

3. Community, Living Web, Live Web, Read-Write Web, Two-Way Web Human, Humane, Humanized. Social Network Social Graph Social Media Social Object . What does social really mean? Source: Erin Malone, Design in Social Interfaces

4. “ Social User Experience (Social UX) is the quality of collective experience a person has when interacting with others an open, shareable and dynamic environment.” So What is Social UX?

5. Social UX Best Practices: The Building Blocks of Social Experiences.

6. A Great User Experience Begins with a Solid Foundation. Source: http://michael.hightechproductmanagement.com/2006/12/seven_traits_of_successful_pro.html

7. There are four cornerstones to social experiences: Community Commerce Collaboration Conversation Social UX

8. Social Networks form around Social Objectives.

9. A Social Objective is the reason two people communicate with each other.

10. Not all users are alike.

11. People are different and there is no blueprint.

12. In fact, they come in all shapes & sizes. Source: http://piras.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it/files/2010/03/refaceme-southpark-01.jpg

13. And stock photography doesn’t capture diversity….

14. Remember, your audience is diverse, aging and always changing.

15. They are looking to you to tell them what is right and lead them down the path. They will do the rest.

16. Because not everyone can be a rocket scientist.

17. But then again, users are not sheep. But A Great User Experience Is a Shepherd.

18. Use the right tools for the right job.

19. Having the right tools increases engagement by users.

20. Never be afraid to make improvements and innovate.

21. You might be surprised at what users react to and like.

22. But make sure everything has a proper function. Design Patterns are critical at this point.

23. Design Patterns: The Building Blocks of Social Experiences.

24. WHAT What does the user want? Examples An archetypal example of the solution USE WHEN When to use it HOW How to meet the user’s needs WHY Why is this a good solution? Parts of a Design Pattern: Source: Erin Malone, Design in Social Interfaces Patterns are optimal solutions to common problems in a context.

25. Design patterns also save you time so you don’t head in the wrong direction.

26. Welcoming People Registration Sign in Welcome area Invitations Private Beta Re-engagement Authorize Discussion: So what patterns are you using in your designs? There are 96 of them. Here are a few… Source: Erin Malone, Designing Social Interfaces People Identity Attribution User Cards Avatars Profiles Testimonials Personal Dashboard Profile Badges Social Connection Availability Mood Buddy List Statuscasting Microblogging User Gallery Updates Optin Game Plan Levels Achievements Points Leaderboard 3 rd Party Tools Tagging (Delicious) Broadcasting (Blogs) Sharing (AddThis) Feedback (Reviews & Ratings) Conversations (FB & Twitter) Location (Foursquare, FB Places) Editing (Wikis)

27. 1.) Start with a solid foundation and framework 2.) Know your audience 3.) Consider which patterns make sense 4.) Combine tools and patterns to create the right mix for your social application 5.) Stay open and iterate often Source: http://michael.hightechproductmanagement.com/2006/12/seven_traits_of_successful_pro.html Five Things to Take with You when You Leave:

28. Questions?

31. Social Applications are about…. Conversation.

32. Don’t Just Create a Product. Create an Experience. Coca-Cola Multi-Media Vending Machine. Created by Sapient. Source: CargoCollective.com

33. Test Your Product in the Wild… It Provides Powerful Insight to Achieve Your Goals.

34. Hire Product “Presidents” not Product “Managers”.