"Although thought-provoking, this quote does not define what a platform is but rather highlights a way to measure whether a platform achieves its purpose. My definition of a platform is A platform is a collection of building blocks and the rules for putting them together that will result in a myriad of predictable outcomes. With the 3 main elements of this definition in mind: "building blocks", "rules for putting them together" and "myriad of predictable outcomes", let's switch to talk about kitchens."
"A kitchen, like a platform, is a collection of purpose-based building blocks. Examining these building blocks will reveal that each has a unique function that must not be interchangeable. Consider 'Sugar'. While both white sugar and brown sugar are well... sugar, each can be used differently and result in different outcomes. When designing a platform, like sugar in a kitchen, it is important to identify the granularity (pun intended) and the function of its building blocks;"
Designing platforms is fundamentally different from designing applications and can break common UX methodologies. A platform consists of building blocks, rules for combining them, and a range of predictable outcomes. Economic impact (as in Bill Gates's observation) measures platform success but does not define a platform. Platform-building requires identifying appropriate component granularity and the unique function of each element. Purpose-specific pieces cannot be freely interchanged. Analogous to sugar types in a kitchen, similar components can produce different results. Too many component types increase learning complexity; too few restrict the platform's ability to support varied outcomes.
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