Interaction

Develop the structure of value exchange on the platform

The core experiences attract key roles to exchange value—goods, services, social currency—on the platform. It's through the actions the roles take in these exchanges that experiences actually unfold. These experiences will converge on the designed ones only by purposefully aligning and connecting the roles' individual actions.

You have two types of building blocks at your disposal in structuring the exchange of value on the platform:

• Touchpoints - points of interaction between roles. Each takes place at a certain moment in time, in a certain context, and with the intention of meeting roles' specific needs.

• Channels - media of interaction between roles, either on-platform or off-platform. Channels both create opportunities and set constraints around a touchpoint.

The Platform Transaction Engine helps in piecing these building blocks, left-to-right and right-to-left, into the interactions taking place on the platform:

The AirBnB transaction engine

Use touchpoints to pinpoint any exchange of some value between roles engaging in the key relationship. The roles' gives-to connections on the Motivation Matrix are a good source for these value items.

Place channels to lower the barrier for a role to bring its assets to bear in each such interaction. Channels are also good for raising the barrier for less desirable—or unwanted, or even illegal—exchanges.

Take care for all roles to provide some item of value in every single interaction—whether it's goods, services, social currency or information thereof. If not, some roles may not feel incentivised enough to engage in the interaction repeatedly.