Platform design framework: surfaces, capabilities, extensions¶
Insight: Three pillars for platform design: Surfaces (UI — where opinion should be strongest, reducing cognitive load), Capabilities (APIs/data models — should always be broader than any single surface; long-term value lives here), and Extensions (ecosystem — admit you can't anticipate every use case). The central question: "How opinionated should we be?" Too rigid alienates power users; too flexible ships a blank canvas.
Detail: Key principles: (1) Use ecosystem to prototype the future — every popular plugin is a feature request; (2) Signal the future through new surfaces ("ship one surface that demonstrates the new world — let it coexist with the old"); (3) Know where to incur debt intentionally. InVision is the cautionary tale: strong surface but never deepened the capability layer. "The capability can only be as powerful as users being aware of it on the surface."
Sources
Related: existing entry "Design system platform thinking" in external/design-systems.md — COMPLEMENTS