There was no real hesitation in getting involved. The idea, the team and the vision all stacked up.

The vision to empower people in making more meaningful connections and contributions on the web was noble. Make it easier and remove the barriers of entry so more people can. Then allow individuals to benefit from the web, benefit from their own content with their own corner of the web —make it how it was intended, how it should be.

Admittedly, the challenge was and still is nothing short of monumental.

It feels like a rabbit-hole of epic proportions. Can we really make a site that is as easy as copy and paste? Is it possible? How do we deliver an individual website that is truly based on the content? Make it unique to the individual? A platform that provides an experience that automates the mundane tasks we have unwillingly become accustomed to — of which there are simply too many.

Many more questions came but the more I thought about it the more it made sense. Currently there is a tiny percentage of people that can build, maintain and evolve a site. What happens if everyone has the ability to have a presence on the web? What then?

The limitations of yesterday started to peel away to the possibilities of tomorrow.

Then I realised, “Shit! How do I design all of this?”

Rethinking Everything

It became very apparent that to do this a new approach was needed. Question everything that is considered the norm with “how should it be done?” We had to build the Grid from the ground up.

First there was the UI layer for NoFlo which you can read more about here:

NoFlo is a JavaScript implementation of Flow-Based Programming (FBP). Separating the control flow of software from the actual software logic. Helping you organize large applications easier than traditional OOP paradigms, especially when importing and modifying large data sets.

Which led to Flowhub from our very successful Kickstarter campaign.

Designing a new way to build software & manage complexity — a visual development environment for all. A Peer-to-peer full-stack visual programming for your fingers.

Then came the launch of GSS (Grid Style Sheets).

GSS reimagines CSS layout & replaces the browser’s layout engine with one that harnesses the Cassowary Constraint Solver — the same algorithm Apple uses to compute native layout.

Independently, these are really powerful tools, with a purpose to making technology more accessible and useful for everyone. Together they form a platform that will finally allow us to branch out into exploring auto-design, where content dictates form. A site that can change, adapt and evolve with you! An AI that helps you find and deliver your purpose.

Here is a sketch I did nearly a year ago visualising how the big jigsaw comes together: