Designing Your Product as a Platform Micah Laaker, Yahoo!

Micah Laaker, Yahoo!

Caveats Platform = software framework that powers 2 or more products Lots of technology “recommendations” that are mostly used for example purposes; before adopting technology, investigate for latest updates to this space Internal platform? External platform? Similar considerations.

Platform = software framework that powers 2 or more products

Lots of technology “recommendations” that are mostly used for example purposes; before adopting technology, investigate for latest updates to this space

Internal platform? External platform? Similar considerations.

Why?

Open

questions when embarking on Platform Design How “open” to go? How do I leverage Users? How do I shape my Data? How do I engage Developers? 4 1 2 3 4

How “open” to go?

How do I leverage Users?

How do I shape my Data?

How do I engage Developers?

How Open? Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiccked/133164205/ 1

Open Source Free to use Community contributions Decentralized High reliability Open 1/13

Free to use

Community contributions

Decentralized

High reliability

Open Infrastructure Pay-as-you-go, only-what-you-need cloud computing Outsource hosting, ops, and processing Open 2/13

Pay-as-you-go, only-what-you-need cloud computing

Outsource hosting, ops, and processing

Open Architecture Anyone can mod your product... on your product Plug’n’Play Open 3/13

Anyone can mod your product... on your product

Plug’n’Play

Open Standards Community-driven Goal is inter-operability Software and Hardware Open 4/13

Community-driven

Goal is inter-operability

Software and Hardware

Open Ontology Describe what can not be seen Future-proof your data Goal is the Semantic Web Open 5/13

Describe what can not be seen

Future-proof your data

Goal is the Semantic Web

Open Access APIs Multi-channel access 3rd-party Developers/Partners can build on your platform Open 6/13

APIs

Multi-channel access

3rd-party Developers/Partners can build on your platform

Open Canvas Product becomes a vehicle for 3rd-party content Fast food sites: your content to-go Open 7/13

Product becomes a vehicle for 3rd-party content

Fast food sites: your content to-go

Open Content User is the editor by programming self-relevant content Content comes to you when its ready Open 8/13

User is the editor by programming self-relevant content

Content comes to you when its ready

Open Mic The product is populated entirely by users Users own their content Products support making/discovery of content Open 9/13

The product is populated entirely by users

Users own their content

Products support making/discovery of content

Open Forum Users contribute ancillary data Ratings, reviews, ranking, and link submissions Heavy social interaction Open 10/13

Users contribute ancillary data

Ratings, reviews, ranking, and link submissions

Heavy social interaction

Open Door User as product decision-maker Reveal operational details Communication is open to all Open 11/13

User as product decision-maker

Reveal operational details

Communication is open to all

Open Borders Settings/configs can be imported/exported No (product) commitments Users can come-and-go Open 12/13

Settings/configs can be imported/exported

No (product) commitments

Users can come-and-go

Open Identity User as owner of identity 1 ID for many sites Power to the people Open 13/13

User as owner of identity

1 ID for many sites

Power to the people

In what way(s) are you “open?”

How does our product support our users? How does our product engage our users? Leverage Users 2

How does our product support our users?

How does our product engage our users?

User Identity Support of OpenID as a relying party Aggregation of cross-web identity Leverage existing Relationship graphs Support function

Support of OpenID as a relying party

Aggregation of cross-web identity

Leverage existing Relationship graphs

Access to User data and configurations Lifestreaming Attention XML User Broadcasting Support function

Access to User data and configurations

Lifestreaming

Attention XML

User Feedback Suggestions Metrics Support function

Suggestions

Metrics

User Contributions User is the owner and creator of your product’s content Engagement model

User is the owner and creator of your product’s content

User Enhancements User adds value to existing content/system: Engagement model

User Extensions User as part of the product Repairs, adds, and extends data Engagement model

User as part of the product

Repairs, adds, and extends data

Leverage Users

Shape Data 3

Define the object

Describe the Object Use Microformats/RDFa Assist machines in making sensible decisions about your data Improve SEO Make future integrations/product ideas feasible with small investment upfront

Use Microformats/RDFa

Assist machines in making sensible decisions about your data

Improve SEO

Make future integrations/product ideas feasible with small investment upfront

Connect the Object Support relationships between data Social Graph Interests Kevin Bacon for Data Use FOAF + XFN

Support relationships between data

Social Graph

Interests

Kevin Bacon for Data

Use FOAF + XFN

Distribute Objects Expose XML/feeds of your items Map your feeds thru YQL Open Tables

Expose XML/feeds of your items

Map your feeds thru YQL Open Tables

Data Model Define Objects Describe Objects Connect Objects Distribute Objects

Define Objects

Describe Objects

Connect Objects

Distribute Objects

Engage Developers 4

Privacy/Security User’s creds. should never be shared Industry-standard auth. protocol (OAuth) User must control relationships

User’s creds. should never be shared

Industry-standard auth. protocol (OAuth)

User must control relationships

Canvases 3rd-party content inside your product Technology: Apps & Widgets

3rd-party content inside your product

Technology: Apps & Widgets

Service Exposure Make product functionality available as a service when applicable

Make product functionality available as a service when applicable

UI Components Build (and make available) UI as components when utilized in 2 or more locations

Build (and make available) UI as components when utilized in 2 or more locations

Policy Define SLAs and Commercial TOU Establish rate limits and means of surpassing Communicate status of platform

Define SLAs and Commercial TOU

Establish rate limits and means of surpassing

Communicate status of platform

Developer Engagement Privacy/Security Canvas support Service exposure UI Components Policy

Privacy/Security

Canvas support

Service exposure

UI Components

Policy

Platform Design Task List Determine “Open-ness” Define User Leverage model Define Data model Define Developer Engagement model 1 2 3 4

Determine “Open-ness”

Define User Leverage model

Define Data model

Define Developer Engagement model

Open Platform One-Sheet UX User Exp. Dev. Exp. Data Model Open Source Open Infrastructure Open Architecture Open Standards Open Ontology Open Access Open Canvas Open Content Open Mic Open Forum Open Door Open Borders Open Identity

In Closing Learn more about the Yahoo! Open Strategy: developer.yahoo.com/yos/ Contact: Micah Laaker / www.laaker.com [email_address]

Learn more about the Yahoo! Open Strategy: developer.yahoo.com/yos/

Contact: Micah Laaker / www.laaker.com [email_address]