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This sounds great, but I see a challenge. The author recommends measuring e.g. user happiness instead of engagement. How to measure user happiness? IMO, some ty

by jpster 4y ago

This sounds great, but I see a challenge. The author recommends measuring e.g. user happiness instead of engagement. How to measure user happiness? IMO, some type of survey could be used. But the “best” metrics are based on observable behavior. Not what users self-report, because they may not know how they actually feel about the experience. In general it’s better to see what users do rather than what they say.

Bjartr 4y ago
Observables are better, but self reported metrics do still have value. It's an aggregate version of the problem devs encounter when doing usability testing. Users will tell you what their experience is, but it's up to you as a software designer to distill that feedback into actual needs. Which may not at all be what they actually ask for. Survey responses are similar in that they don't tell you exactly what to do, but they do contain actionable information if you have the skill to interpret it.
ItsMonkk 4y ago
You must have an expert or experts. That expert will then make decisions, and use metrics and surveys and intuition to drive their new world view, but it's the expert that is always at the top of the stack. If you then take that model and try to use them in a new domain, that is never going to work out. The environment adapts to the incentives that the current system produces, and will instantly make your pre-created model worthless[0]. The only way to work out long-term is by having an expert stay ahead of the pack creating what they think are systems with better signal to the noise. [0]: https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-11-13 https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-11-13
- mhall119 4y ago
  I'd recommend reading The Community Engagement Trap[0] by Rosie Sherry (which should also be shared here on HN), she talks about Community Discovery as the process for getting these deeper understandings. [0] https://rosie.land/posts/the-community-engagement-trap/ https://rosie.land/posts/the-community-engagement-trap/

by jpster 4y ago

Bjartr 4y ago

Observables are better, but self reported metrics do still have value. It's an aggregate version of the problem devs encounter when doing usability testing. Users will tell you what their experience is, but it's up to you as a software designer to distill that feedback into actual needs. Which may not at all be what they actually ask for. Survey responses are similar in that they don't tell you exactly what to do, but they do contain actionable information if you have the skill to interpret it.

ItsMonkk 4y ago

You must have an expert or experts. That expert will then make decisions, and use metrics and surveys and intuition to drive their new world view, but it's the expert that is always at the top of the stack. If you then take that model and try to use them in a new domain, that is never going to work out. The environment adapts to the incentives that the current system produces, and will instantly make your pre-created model worthless[0]. The only way to work out long-term is by having an expert stay ahead of the pack creating what they think are systems with better signal to the noise. [0]: https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-11-13 https://dilbert.com/strip/1995-11-13

mhall119 4y ago
I'd recommend reading The Community Engagement Trap[0] by Rosie Sherry (which should also be shared here on HN), she talks about Community Discovery as the process for getting these deeper understandings. [0] https://rosie.land/posts/the-community-engagement-trap/ https://rosie.land/posts/the-community-engagement-trap/