The Struggle for Existence

In ‘The Struggle For Existence’, I explored how an idea’s lifecycle might survive its environment where ideas compete “red in tooth and claw” for survival.

I looked at how nature and the adaptation of organisms can show us how digital landscapes are shaped by their technological environment. I then asked if there are universal truths in biological systems that can help us in creating digital products that evolve with the ever changing economy.

Watch Hannah’s talk

The talk is on YouTube, but I’ve worked with our design team to create a set of four downloadable PDFs.

Part 1: On the Origin of the Species

In this introduction, I explore how apps must exist in a world of notoriously fickle users with quick-to-delete fingers and how under-performing apps face extinction, while all competing for the same, vital resource: our attention.

Part 2: Deviate or Die

I examine how environmental factors force organisms to variate, change and evolve – or risk being lost to time like the dodo. From animal examples to apps that make survival an art, we’ll see how organisations can take a lesson or two from pterodactyls, birds, bats and flying squirrels.

Part 3: Complex machine in a Perfect State

I describe how components are reused across the natural world, while others are dropped and mutations welcomed. By deploying lessons of evolution, we can refresh, recycle and reuse our ideas, transforming them into multiple manifestations.

Part 4: Beauty and Delight

I look at the occasionally baffling aesthetic decisions in the animal kingdom and the rare triumphs and more common pitfalls of brands choosing shiny components over user experience. In the battle between limited resources and fierce competition, we can all learn to be smarter and more strategic in our decision making.