December 28, 2007

wrapping up 2007

If there’s one “2007 wrap up” post you need to read, it’s this one from Matt Webb. It’s smart, not easily digestible, and will send your mind reeling for more than a little while. (Kind of like Mr. Webb himself.) Here’s a teaser bit for you, on the nature of websites:

Instead of a finite-state machine, think of a website as a flowchart of motivations. For every state the user is in, there are motivations: it’s fun; it’s the next action; it saves money; it’s intriguing; I’m in flow; I need to crop the photo and I remember there’s a tool to do it on that other page; it’s pretty.

There’s more on vending machines, risk as motivation, playfulness, the Magna Carta, flocking cars and phenotropics. Fun!