At the center of any good community is the campfire. It is the thing that draws everybody in, where we see and meet each other. Around it is the setting, the vibe that gathers us and makes this special place with these special people. That special area in the context of our lives makes it easy to find and something worth coming back to. Thirdly, there is a steady flow of wood to the fire. A good pace; keeping everybody warm and included, creating the intimacy of a group and the openness of a crowd.
Bringing people together is one of the big promises of the digital era. Still, keeping track of people and reaching them when needed can be difficult.
The key to proper community building is respecting the members and building the community with them, not just for them. Safe data handling and GDPR are natural components. But truly respecting the members, their needs and the social contract they agree to when joining the community is something that is often and easily forgotten. Let’s find out what’s in it for the users too and find the right way to a proper win-win opportunity.
I can take an outsider’s social review of your service, to see how strong your community is and how to unleash further potential. You might want to improve the engagement of community members to increase the sharing of ideas and make sure more voices are heard. Or you might have a new idea or purpose for bringing people together, but don’t quite know how to.
How do we leverage good UX and design to create features that serve everybody and make for that great setting with that awesome campfire?
Have a look at some samples of my work and get in touch to talk about ideas and processes, and let’s see how we can build something great together.
