Lately there has been a resurgence in the discussion over using design for the greater good. From using design principles at the boardroom table, to solving third world problems with better interaction design. Who are we really kidding!
While the concepts are very noble and I can see how it can be done. There really needs to be a dose of reality in all this.
The overriding principle is that we can change the world through design. We do this by influencing everything we design. Such that we are producing high quality products that take into account sustainability, inclusivity and still focus on the business and audiences at hand.
Over the years I have found that web awards tend to fall into three types:
- The mindless handout of awards to favour colleagues.
- Awards for the prettiest or most unusable but funky hip design.
- An award that is a true test and representation of the best in the industry.
What I find that you are really looking for is a web award competition that acts as a yard stick to measure your skills that is judged by your peers in the web industry, not advertising executives.
Social networking sites like Facebook and the like were fun when they started. You could be ensured of a reasonable degree of trust with them.
I don’t know if you have noticed lately, but Facebook have been slowly but surely selling off your privacy, and rights to the information you put on their site. They are doing this by just changing their Terms and Conditions from time to time. The changes have been slow and almost calculated.
