Learn more about economics with this collection
How to delegate tasks efficiently
How to use technology to your advantage
How to optimize your work environment
Deciding where to begin in platform design is difficult. Copying other companies doesn’t always work because platform businesses tend to be different from each other. Instead of trying to imitate another platform, the focus should be on the interaction. Platform design should always start with the core interaction. The core interaction has three components: participants, value unit and filter. After figuring out what the core interaction is to be, design the components in the above order.
96
504 reads
MORE IDEAS ON THIS
Platforms enable new forms of consumer behavior. People will gladly jump into a stranger’s car when they use Uber. It wasn’t too long ago that such behavior would have been considered crazy dangerous. Platforms enable this because they have built-in mechanisms to engender trust between users.
...89
334 reads
Frictionless entry makes it possible for users to quickly and easily join a platform.
Side-switching platforms allow users to switch roles.
Beware of negative network effects. If there are lots of users, it can overwhelm the system.
91
592 reads
Viral growth is a pull process. Create an environment where users tell new people about the platform. Viral growth depends on the user to be the sender. The sender shares a value unit. Allow the value unit to spread to existing networks. Then there has to be an actual recipient to receive the val...
89
275 reads
Charge a transaction fee. This way, people aren’t discouraged from joining the site to begin with.
Charge for access. For example, on employment websites recruiters usually pay to list jobs.
Charge for enhanced access. LinkedIn is fre...
93
263 reads
To be open means to have no restrictions on development, commercialization or use. In another definition, it can mean that any restrictions — like rules and fees — are reasonable and nondiscriminatory.
Getting the right amount of openness is difficult, but important. Openness encourages inn...
87
271 reads
In manager and sponsor participation, the sponsors control the platform architecture, the manager controls interactions. Often these two roles are played by the same entity.
Developer participation has two different kinds of users. Core developers ...
88
247 reads
Regulations should be reevaluated everywhere because the whole game has been changed by platform businesses. Often enough, new economy businesses have just ignored existing regulations. This has brought a host of ethical problems.
Dominant platforms might resist change and innovation- after...
86
234 reads
There are many industries that will probably convert to platform industries in the coming years, these include information intensive industries, industries with non-scalable gatekeepers, highly fragmented industries and industries characterized by extreme information asymmetries.
Industries...
88
261 reads
Tools for governance include laws, or platform rules, and norms, the desirable behavior within a community.
Architecture, or programming code, can be used to reinforce desired behavior and make unwanted behavior difficult to perform.
And finally, marke...
86
228 reads
The internet provides infrastructure and coordinates communication. Platforms make use of these features for transactions all over the planet.
There are several reasons for this.
88
321 reads
A platform is a business that connects people through technology, making an ecosystem that allows value to be created and exchanged.
Platforms can host several different kinds of users, like how Amazon has both sellers and buyers, or they can have one primary type of user, like Facebook’s ...
96
1.4K reads
Platforms are businesses that match users to each other in order to make financial or social transactions that create value. Value arises from the community the platform serves.
Platforms multiply profit because they benefit from network effects, which can help the value of a network to gro...
100
954 reads
Three of the most important functions of a platform are pull, facilitate and match.
Pull attracts users to the platform.
To facilitate transactions the platform provides tools and rules; this is the scaffolding of interact...
95
442 reads
The more peripheral a feature is to the core mission, the more peripheral it should be on a platform. If only some users need it, then it shouldn’t be junking things up in a central location. This will make the system run more efficiently.
Always leave room for organic and spontaneous chang...
88
396 reads
Platforms are places where buyers and sellers can come together and transact business. It isn’t a business model. Platforms have been around for ages. Platforms include traditional marketplaces where goods, like produce, are sold.
Platforms eat pipelines.
The intern...
88
370 reads
Separating assets from value. Ownership of assets like equipment should be separated from value. For example, pooling the use of a MRI machine means everyone can use it without having to buy their own.
Re-intermediation. There are new kinds of middlemen. Fo...
90
313 reads
95
314 reads
Matching quality measures how well the search algorithms match users to make transactions. People want to find what they’re looking for. Search results shouldn’t bring up a bunch of noise that users must sift through. A good metric to measure this is the sales conversion rate — t...
86
232 reads
Governance is all about creating good rules. A platform is composed of a community of users. Like all healthy communities, there need to be rules protecting the members of the community. The wrong kind of rules, however, can alienate users.
To avoid this, platforms should observe three fun...
90
233 reads
Liquidity means that there are some producers and consumers, and there is a high percentage of interactions. You can track liquidity by measuring the percentage of listings that lead to interactions. It’s also important to look at illiquidity, which happens when transactions aren’t possible.
...88
236 reads
Because platforms don’t own the resources that create value, they can grow much faster than pipeline businesses. Platforms also scale better. Growth isn’t tied to resources, so it can occur faster. Platforms bring new supplies to market because users are always coming up with new things.
Th...
96
735 reads
The way to understand what’s going on with a system is through metrics. By measuring the right things, needs, performance and other aspects of the system can be assessed.
Platforms are a new business model that require new ways to keep track of what’s going on.
Platforms must track an...
87
221 reads
Platforms typically enjoy two-sided network effects. The two sides required for interaction attract each other; for example, on a site with buyers and sellers, the presence of buyers attracts sellers, and the presence of sellers attracts buyers.
Network effects can come from and affect bot...
95
659 reads
When users go to a number of different sites to do similar kinds of transactions, it’s known as multi-homing. It’s better for the platform if it can keep all those tasty transactions at home on the platform. One way to accomplish this is to limit platform access. Platforms should try to get exclu...
86
228 reads
CURATED FROM
CURATED BY
Uber. Airbnb. Amazon. Apple. PayPal. All of these companies disrupted their markets when they launched. Today they are industry leaders. What’s the secret to their success? These cutting-edge businesses are built on platforms: two-sided markets that are revolutionizing the way we do business.
“
Explore the World’s
Best Ideas
Save ideas for later reading, for personalized stashes, or for remembering it later.
Start
31 ideas
Start
44 ideas
# Personal Growth
Take Your Ideas
Anywhere
Just press play and we take care of the words.
No Internet access? No problem. Within the mobile app, all your ideas are available, even when offline.
Ideas for your next work project? Quotes that inspire you? Put them in the right place so you never lose them.
Start
47 ideas
Start
75 ideas
My Stashes
Join
2 Million Stashers
4.8
5,740 Reviews
App Store
4.7
72,690 Reviews
Google Play
Sean Green
Great interesting short snippets of informative articles. Highly recommended to anyone who loves information and lacks patience.
“
samz905
Don’t look further if you love learning new things. A refreshing concept that provides quick ideas for busy thought leaders.
“
Ashley Anthony
This app is LOADED with RELEVANT, HELPFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL material. It is creatively intellectual, yet minimal enough to not overstimulate and create a learning block. I am exceptionally impressed with this app!
“
Shankul Varada
Best app ever! You heard it right. This app has helped me get back on my quest to get things done while equipping myself with knowledge everyday.
“
Jamyson Haug
Great for quick bits of information and interesting ideas around whatever topics you are interested in. Visually, it looks great as well.
“
Laetitia Berton
I have only been using it for a few days now, but I have found answers to questions I had never consciously formulated, or to problems I face everyday at work or at home. I wish I had found this earlier, highly recommended!
“
Giovanna Scalzone
Brilliant. It feels fresh and encouraging. So many interesting pieces of information that are just enough to absorb and apply. So happy I found this.
“
Ghazala Begum
Even five minutes a day will improve your thinking. I've come across new ideas and learnt to improve existing ways to become more motivated, confident and happier.
“
Read & Learn
20x Faster
without
deepstash
with
deepstash
with
deepstash
Access to 200,000+ ideas
—
Access to the mobile app
—
Unlimited idea saving & library
—
—
Unlimited history
—
—
Unlimited listening to ideas
—
—
Downloading & offline access
—
—
Personalized recommendations
—
—
Supercharge your mind with one idea per day
Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.
I agree to receive email updates