Hunch is a new website (in private beta) that helps you make decisions faster, and perhaps even better. Questions like "What should I be for Halloween? Do I need a Porsche? What toe ring should I buy?" are broken down into a series of sub-questions, guiding you quickly through to the final conclusion. Decision-making is difficult, and decisions have to be made constantly. This is where I believe recommendation systems still have a way to go, for them to become efficient decision facilitators, and not merely option generators. Perhaps Hunch is the next step in that direction? I'm still waiting for my invite, and as soon as I get my hands on one, I'll let you know if my hunch is right.
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Your invite should be waiting in your inbox.
I feel privileged
Eager to see for myself what Hunch is about. It will have to wait for tomorrow, though. Off to a party now. Thanks for the invite!
This is a great topic Vegard – and indeed making decisions is not an easy subject, many people have tried to manage it. Studies and theories about decisions usually focus on factors involved in what an acceptable solution could/should be. One usually thinks it’s a linear, factbased process. But decisions are not made in a vacuum, they are made within very complex and idiosyncratic systems that involve much more than just a problem, a need and a solution.
I think Hunch seems to be a great initiative – and I look forward to learning more about how they also take into account the criteria and and system elements that are unique for each and every decision making system. Ie the “stuff” outside the identified problem that keep us doing what we do without changing allthough it’s obvious we should have – a long time ago, myself just as guilty as everyone else…
Hi Ted!
I’m also facinated by the irrationality of decision-making, especially what happens when you’re faced with a choice between equally relevant options. I read an article in the local newspaper the other day about behavioral economics, and have put two new books on my Amazon wish list that I’m looking forward to read.
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions:
http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions/dp/006135323X/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I6BC3NXVKS4HO&colid=3D9RPWXS9TGI7
Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness:
http://www.amazon.com/Nudge-Improving-Decisions-Health-Happiness/dp/014311526X/ref=wl_it_dp?ie=UTF8&coliid=I5SBTDO8TCWHM&colid=3D9RPWXS9TGI7
Let me know what you think of Hunch when you get to try it.
Vegard, those are fun books (amd Dan Ariely and Richard Thaler are part of the second generation of heuristics and biases researchers), but I’d recommend you read the Cambridge University collections by Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky, et al if you have the time. The raw research is fascinating.