These principles were formulated for my keynote at the Computer Human Interaction (CHI) conference, The Hague, 2000:
1] We cherish the fact that people are innately curious, playful, and creative. This is one reason technology is not going to go away: it’s too much fun.
2] We will deliver value to people – not deliver people to systems. We will give priority to human agency, and will not treat humans as a ‘factor’ in some bigger picture.
3] We will not presume to design your experiences for you – but we will do so with you, if asked.
4] We do not believe in ‘idiot-proof’ technology – because we are not idiots, and neither are you. We will use language with care, and will look for less patronising words than ‘user’ and ‘consumer’.
5] We will focus on services, not on things. We will not flood the world with pointless devices.
6] We believe that ‘content’ is something you do – not something you are given.
7] We will consider material end energy flows in all the systems we design. We will think about the consequences of technology before we act, not after.
8] We will not pretend things are simple, when they are complex. We value the fact that by acting inside a system, you will probably improve it.
9] We believe that place matters, and we will look after it.
10] We believe that speed and time matter, too – but that sometimes you need more, and sometimes you need less. We will not fill up all time with content.
