✨ New article: Psychology of UX Writing.
The Clock Of The Long Now
These are the principles that Danny Hillis used in the initial stages of designing a 10,000-Year Clock. These are generally good principles for designing anything to last a long time.
- Longevity: With occasional maintenance, the clock should reasonably be expected to display the correct time for the next 10,000 years.
- Maintainability: The clock should be maintainable with bronze-age technology.
- Transparency: It should be possible to determine the operational principles of the clock by close inspection.
- Evolvability: It should be possible to improve the clock with time.
- Scalability: It should be possible to build working clock models using the same design from table-top to monumental size.
WikiHouse
- Rather than solving problems from scratch, adapt other people’s solutions, and then give them credit.
- Design for materials and components which are reasonably cheap to buy, low-carbon and fully recyclable or biodegradable.
- Design structures which can be assembled with minimal formal skill or training, and without the use of power tools.
- WikiHouses should be capable of being habitable throughout the year, and as efficient as possible in the use of energy and water.
- Design in such a way as to offer maximum provision for the safety, security and health (both mental and physical) of the users at all stages of the structure’s life.
- As a general rule, design for the climate, culture, economy and legal / planning framework in which you live, and you know best. Others will then be able to adapt the design to suit their environment.
- Share your work as much and as openly as possible, it might come back better. At very least you’ll have contributed to solving a common problem.
- “It is easier to ship recipes than cakes and biscuits” — John Maynard Keynes
- Design to dismantle. The easier it is to dismantle structures or replace individual parts, the better.
- Design for mistakes. Try to design components which either make it impossible for the assembler to get it wrong or are designed in such a way that it doesn’t matter if they do.
Chindōgu
- A Chindogu cannot be for real use.
- A Chindogu must exist.
- Inherent in every Chindogu is the spirit of anarchy.
- Chindogu are tools for everyday life.
- Chindogu are not for sale.
- Humour must not be the sole reason for creating Chindogu.
- Chindogu are not propaganda.
- Chindogu are never taboo.
- Chindogu cannot be patented.
- Chindogu are without prejudice.