The Underlying Principle of Websites

I have spoken before on the underlying principle and it's relationship to creative thinking.  It's something that I try to work out with everything I work on. (And so should you.)  I have spent quite a while thinking about the underlying principle of this website and of websites in general.  My thoughts are constantly evolving and changing as I approach the problem from different angles.  Read on to see my current thoughts.

The way I see it your understanding of a problem goes through several layers of abstraction.  As you progress through the different layers you see problems and opportunities differently and this influences your creative thinking.

At first you see a website as a technical problem.

You are concerned with placing items on the pages and making it look nice.

You spend your time thinking about how to make things look pretty.

Then you move up a layer and you see a website as solving a problem for it's visitors.

Now you are thinking in terms of what visitors want.  Are they seeking entertainment, or information etc.

You spend your time thinking about how the visitor will behave and what will make them happy.

Then you move up a layer and visitors are only 1/2 of the equation.  The person running the website is just as important.

Now you see the website as a conduit.  A means for two parties, visitors and webmaster (sometimes a third such as advertisers) to collaborate for the benefit of all parties involved.

The requirements of all parties are related yet are quite different.  Ideal solutions elegantly satisfy the different stakeholders requirements as a coherent whole.

Your ideas on this may vary and that is perfectly fine.  I don't think there is ever a definitive answer when considering the underlying principle of something.  If you have other ideas lets discuss them.  Feel free to leave a comment below.

I encourage you to reflect on your own area of expertise and how your understanding of its underlying principle has changed over time.  Think also about how it has changed your perspectives and the solutions you create as a result.

You're on your way to becoming a Highly Creative Person.