Sure, menus are a linear experience disguised as choices. Rich 60 year olds have been eating at restaurants for decades, though, and maybe only using smartphon

Sure, menus are a linear experience disguised as choices. Rich 60 year olds have been eating at restaurants for decades, though, and maybe only using smartphones and software for a few years. This is a big deal when the average age of a congressman is 55 and senator 60. Why? Menus are a kind of retail that manipulates your psychology. So is Amazon, and in some senses YouTube and Facebook. Those things have a bigger impact in our lives than menus, but people barely understand how software works. If you wanted to communicate to a congressman (or the public really) why profit-optimizing collaborative filtering looks like a series of choices, but is really an experience that tells you what to do, good luck using that abstract algorithmic language. But a restaurant menu? At least they'll know what the hell you are talking about. Ironically, the most relevant part of this piece for the software audience will probably be, "Oh great, I can explain to investors how my product recommendation engine funnels people into the best-paying affiliate products, even though it's disguised as an informed choice, by using the metaphor of a menu."