The action remains the same

By sharing postcards and treasures interactively, Darlene is taking advantage of a form of interaction available on the Purple Moon website. Although the medium of the exchange looks different, the fundamental action Darlene is taking is a familiar one.

And this concept is not new. Substitute digital design for oratory in Plato's Phaedrus, and we can apply Plato's theory of the art of rhetoric to the design of Share Central: "The perfection of oratory is, or rather must be, like the perfection of all things, partly given by nature; but this is assisted by art, and if you have the natural power you will be famous as a rhetorician, if you only add knowledge and practice, and in either you may fall short." Similarly, the success of Share Central depends on the contribution of the three components—without one, there would be no interaction.

First, however, there must be a believable synthesis of representation and reality at this intersection. Digital designers have to create "imaginary worlds that have a special relationship to reality¾worlds in which we can extend, amplify, and enrich out own capabilities to think, feel, and act." No longer can interfaces be simply informative, or simply functional, or even just pretty; they must build experiences, create enjoyment, induce participation. Purple Moon has taken a unique approach to representing a real-life action through Share Central.

A website for imitation's sake

By identifying the communicative form and function for pre-teen girls, Purple Moon's designers show evidence that they have captured this embodiment. In this case, the form is the postcards and treasures that Darlene sends and collects; the function, her need and desire to communicate with girls her own age. Share Central has imitated an action that already comes naturally to Darlene.

While the designers of Share Central may not have been in my sixth grade class, they must have heard about the trend at my grade school—sticker albums. We carried the bulky books stuffed with stickers to and from school because on the playground, we all got to trade. But if you forgot your album, you couldn't stand around and tell people about all the great stickers you had. Nor was it fun to stare at your sticker album at home alone in your room. Until all were present—sticker album, sticker-album owner, and friends—it was not a true sticker-collecting experience. By imitating and representing this action, Share Central has captured the reality I remember as a girl.

There is no part without the whole

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