August 15, 2023

Three stories

There are a lot of different ways to think about technology.

Years ago, I read a book called From the Garden to the City by John Dyer. He suggested a framework that has stayed with me over the years, centered around three stories:

• Story 1: We use tech to shape the world.
• Story 2: The tech we use shapes us.
• Story 3: What is our purpose in shaping the world?

These stories carry religious significance in the book, but I find the 3-story framework useful for thinking about how to incorporate technology into life and work.

Here’s a simple example:

1. I have a powerful set of libraries and components in Figma. I can do a lot with this!
2. Since I’m using Figma predominantly, I’m going to be heavily focused on vectors and frames. I’ll probably take real-time collaboration for granted. I’m more likely to design in a way that Figma makes easy and less likely to design in a way that Figma makes hard (or impossible).
3. What am I actually trying to accomplish with Figma?

Another example:

1. I have a robust Vue-based front-end application architecture that connects to a headless CMS. I can do a lot with this!
2. Since I’m using Vue predominantly, I’ll be focused on reactivity, state management, and consuming content from an API, and I may even end up becoming less familiar with vanilla JS over time. I might try to solve every problem with Vue, instead of considering alternatives like Svelte, Solid, or even a flat-file solution.
3. What am I actually trying to accomplish with Vue?

The second story channels Marshall McLuhan's interesting idea that the medium is the message, but it's that third story I find so compelling. What is the purpose behind adopting that design system or framework or low-code platform? What are you ultimately trying to accomplish? Finding the answer to that can radically transform the other two stories.

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Cheers,

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