4 ms·

This is a great article and it's a nice model for understanding users. I think I would add at least two levels beyond 5: (6) extend (7) design (8) invent

This is a great article and it's a nice model for understanding users. I think I would add at least two levels beyond 5: (6) extend (7) design (8) invent Admittedly level 8 is going beyond the useful purpose of this model. Still, it's how I think of things.

asciimike 6y ago
I called 6 re-purpose, but I think I like your extended naming better!
- agumonkey 6y ago
  upcycling is also used I believe
whatrocks 6y ago
I love these extensions, and completely agree. If I write a follow-up, I'll definitely add these levels. Especially because, right now, my article doesn't talk at all about where these systems come from in the first place. They are not invented by gods, but real people who have traveled this journey. By adding these levels to the model, the notion of making a "Claude Shannon-like" invention or discovery (something at its core that is simple yet powerful, and obvious-in-retrospect) becomes more approachable for a mere learner.
- metalliqaz 6y ago
  I always like this quote: What I can't create I don't understand -Richard Feynman
exmadscientist 6y ago
I like your extensions. It's interesting to consider where everyone's personal "wall" is: the stage at which they have trouble going beyond. Many people, for example, are passive consumers who can barely use systems (Level 1), let alone monitor them (Level 2). (If that seems harsh to you, remember that you're on Hacker News, a highly non-representative sample of the population.) I work in R&D, and so I spend a lot of time designing things (Level 7) and improving on existing products and concepts (Level 6-ish). I even like to think I'm good at it, some days. But I rarely have good, new ideas of my own (Level 8), and I don't think I've ever had an actionable one: certainly, I've never had an idea or plan worth founding a startup over, or worth quitting my job to become an author. It's surprising how wide the chasm separating those two levels seems, at least for me.

asciimike 6y ago

I called 6 re-purpose, but I think I like your extended naming better!

agumonkey 6y ago
upcycling is also used I believe

whatrocks 6y ago

I love these extensions, and completely agree. If I write a follow-up, I'll definitely add these levels. Especially because, right now, my article doesn't talk at all about where these systems come from in the first place. They are not invented by gods, but real people who have traveled this journey. By adding these levels to the model, the notion of making a "Claude Shannon-like" invention or discovery (something at its core that is simple yet powerful, and obvious-in-retrospect) becomes more approachable for a mere learner.

metalliqaz 6y ago
I always like this quote: What I can't create I don't understand -Richard Feynman

exmadscientist 6y ago

I like your extensions. It's interesting to consider where everyone's personal "wall" is: the stage at which they have trouble going beyond. Many people, for example, are passive consumers who can barely use systems (Level 1), let alone monitor them (Level 2). (If that seems harsh to you, remember that you're on Hacker News, a highly non-representative sample of the population.) I work in R&D, and so I spend a lot of time designing things (Level 7) and improving on existing products and concepts (Level 6-ish). I even like to think I'm good at it, some days. But I rarely have good, new ideas of my own (Level 8), and I don't think I've ever had an actionable one: certainly, I've never had an idea or plan worth founding a startup over, or worth quitting my job to become an author. It's surprising how wide the chasm separating those two levels seems, at least for me.