To summarize, we started with discussing how software design thrives within the vast community of designers and developers. We covered software as a culture and discussed how collaboration on open source problems creates opportunities for HCI designers to scale their contributions around the globe. We also considered how software design is difficult and time-consuming, and therefore, sharing has become essential to speeding up solution times. The community and team environment in which software solutions are produced also lends itself to maintaining and building for culture of that environment and community. The open source ethos has birthed ideas like the internet, and therefore, we reviewed why iteration and software development aimed at the betterment of mankind is not just a pie-in-the-sky idea but rather something that we as HCI designers can continue to hang our hats on at the end of the day.
In the next chapter, we will focus on more skills in Part 3 as we discuss methods...