The Web Design That Changed the World

When designers determine the features going into a product, they’re not really designing features, they’re designing benefits. What’s more, they’re designing to create the emotions these benefits evoke. In the case of MyBO, the design was all about empowerment and hope. Empowerment to effect change; hope for a better world.



The real brilliance of MyBO.com is that the point of the online site was to facilitate real world activity. Take the Neighbor-to-Neighbor campaigns that connected members to undecided voters near them. But the “connection” Hughes worked so hard to design into the system wasn’t merely based on geography. Hughes sought the deeper connection, the emotional connection of commonality. By having volunteers call undecided voters with similar backgrounds and interests, Hughes empowered people to connect with the people they called. And once you truly connect with someone, it’s much easier for them to really hear what you have to say.

So what can we learn from Hughes and the design of MyBO? We can learn the value of creating designs that empower and connect. Don’t let the scope and impact of MyBO intimidate you. The empowerment doesn’t have to be as world-changing as the Obama campaign. It can be as simple as a kitchen tool that empowers a parent to make a meal that connects their family around the dinner table. The real benefit to companies is how this empowerment connects consumers to brands. When you successfully create this connection, you’ve set yourself up to benefit from the grassroots campaign known as viral demand. When people love your products, they’re happy to do your PR work for you.


Originally posted in Ravi’s blog on Fast Company, here.