When customising, integrating or developing social software we apply ideas about influence, behaviour change and social dynamics in networks to ensure that implementations deliver maximum value.

Changing behaviour through intelligent interventions
Getting users engaged with a new system and supporting them in changing their behaviour is crucial to the success of a social software implementation. Our design work is rooted in an understanding of users which ensures that we help them achieve their goals through better design and more appropriate structure. We design and create connections between existing practices and systems and new ways of working to help trigger new, more productive behaviours.

Designing social affordances
The design of social software relies on the creation of appropriate social affordances which match the expectations and group norms of the target users. We work to understand users and groups of users, their needs, and their motivations to interact with each other. This then informs the extent to which social functionality is revealed in a system: how easy it is for users to comment, like, rate and share content; which group activities are supported and how they are supported; and how the site can make use of social dynamics to amplify positive behaviours.

Social Network Analysis
An understanding of social network structure can be very helpful in locating communication problems, technological opportunities and influential people. We perform Social Network Analysis as part of our larger interventions to provide a complete picture of the current situation that supports conversation about change and helps us locate potential champions to support a project’s ongoing adoption and learning goals.

Social Usability
A changing emphasis in interaction requires a changing conception of usability. As part of our Social Experience Design toolkit, we can assess the social usability of a technology: how easy social interactions are to make. Through an examination of how well a technology supports: finding and connecting with others; expressing one’s identity; multiple communication modes; and the emergence of groups, we can help you improve the social layer that sits on top of core functionality.