A Hack Addressing a Flaw – Transparent Recommendations
Transparency and control is not the pinnacle of user experience design for recommender systems. Our ability to scrutinize the recommendations given to us by the system does not unanimously increase our ability to effectively choose the right option. Transparently knowing all the pros and cons of every recommended options may actually decrease our satisfaction with [...]
When Recommendations Become a Problem
Some choice good – excessive choice bad. That is the (condensed) Paradox of Choice, according to Barry Schwartz. We need some choice in order to exercise our free will, but the abundance of options we’re facing today (when shopping for groceries, entertainment, education and more) is actually quite overwhelming and paralyzing. No matter how much [...]
Personalized Search
See this battered guitar, worn from years of playing rehearsals and concert gigs. I bet you it could tell us a story about the person who played it. It could tell us about rock-solid riffs, fiery solos and sweet melodies. It could, because this guitar has been personalized. The guitar has taken on some of [...]