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Illustration for Desirable Property DP7: Simplicity and Interoperability
DP7ACTIVE

Simplicity and Interoperability

How do we connect the web without forcing people into yet another app?

Too many disconnected apps

The next layer should simplify, not multiply tabs.

People already juggle too many logins, chats, and tools. Interoperability means capabilities compose across sites instead of forcing yet another destination.

Why this matters

A volunteer coordinates across five apps for one campaign: chat here, docs there, events somewhere else. Context is lost in the seams, and newcomers never catch up.

  • Tool fatigue
  • Broken handoffs
  • Duplicate identities
  • Integration tax for builders

Today's challenges

  • App sprawl
  • Proprietary APIs
  • Incompatible formats
  • Complex onboarding
  • Brittle integrations

Why today's Web struggles

Each product optimizes for its own retention. Standards exist, but product incentives reward lock-in, so users pay the complexity tax.

Digital fragmentation

Imagine instead

Presence, identity, community, and context travel as a coherent layer above pages and apps.

  • Fewer silos, clearer shared primitives
  • Build once, connect many surfaces
  • Simple defaults that still allow depth

One interoperable layer across the Web

Why this matters to everyone

  • Everyday users

    Less juggling, more continuity.

  • Developers

    Stable interoperability targets.

  • Enterprises

    Compose tools without endless custom glue.

  • Communities

    Coordinate without mandating one vendor.

Meta-Layer capabilities

  • Interoperability
  • Context Overlays
  • Portable Identity
  • Smart Tags
  • Meta-Communities

Real-world examples

  • Civic campaigns

    Shared presence across tools.

  • Education

    Portable learning context.

  • Healthcare

    Interoperable patient-facing layers.

  • Research

    Cross-lab collaboration without lock-in.

Join the challenge

Choose how you'd like to contribute.