<!-- bryant-content-generator:start --> # The first task of platform design is to understand... > The first task of platform design is to understand what members are trying to become. Features should follow the transformation the community exists to support, because an application optimized for attention will behave differently from one optimized for authorship, learning, or collaboration. Product architecture is therefore a theory of human development expressed in workflows and permissions. **Source:** [[livestreams/Building a Community Platform for Durable Creative Work - Workbook|Building a Community Platform for Durable Creative Work]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “The first task of platform design is to understand what members are trying to become. Features should follow the transformation the community exists to support, because an application optimized for attention will behave differently from one optimized for authorship, learning, or collaboration. Product architecture is therefore a theory of human development expressed in workflows and permissions.” — Bryant McGill https://bryantmcgill.com/quotes/quotes-first-task-platform-expressed-workflows-permissions ``` <!-- bryant-content-generator:end -->