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Good analysis, and it real get to the nub of the article: the difference between the perception of making a good decision based on the available data and how it

by pmjoyce 17y ago

Good analysis, and it real get to the nub of the article: the difference between the perception of making a good decision based on the available data and how it's presented versus the reality of the decision making process. What I'm proposing isn't new or revolutionary - it's simply that we need a more honest appraisal system - something that everyone can understand not just think they understand because it's presented in a familiar and reassuring format (5 stars).

thwarted 17y ago
What is dishonest about the current systems? And what makes it look like an opinion system could be honest? Does it seem like people are purposely misrepresenting their position in these kinds of rating systems? Everyone does understand the simple rating system, which is why it works and is popular. I think there is a perceptual accuracy, and not necessarily an absolute accuracy, to the way people interpret the data because they are looking for absolutes in a system which can not inherently contain absolutes, as it is based on opinions. Discussion of the Netflix Prize is a good place to mine data on the accuracy of rating systems and improve them.
- pmjoyce 17y ago
  What is dishonest about the current systems? The dishonesty (wilful or otherwise) arises from allowing the 5 star system to proxy for something that gives users something meaningful with which to base their decision making. And what makes it look like an opinion system could be honest? I said an opinion system could be made more honest. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that the people voting are misrepresenting their position (the users are dishonest) merely that the 5 star rating system that purports to tell us something of value, doesn't (the system is dishonest). Honesty comes from simplicity and it's my opinion that aligning online recommendations systems more closely with "real world" models is not only purer (in that we'll have a greater innate understanding) but probably more accurate and more helpful as a decision making aid. As for the Netflix Prize, I can't help feeling that it's not much more than asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

by pmjoyce 17y ago

thwarted 17y ago

What is dishonest about the current systems? And what makes it look like an opinion system could be honest? Does it seem like people are purposely misrepresenting their position in these kinds of rating systems? Everyone does understand the simple rating system, which is why it works and is popular. I think there is a perceptual accuracy, and not necessarily an absolute accuracy, to the way people interpret the data because they are looking for absolutes in a system which can not inherently contain absolutes, as it is based on opinions. Discussion of the Netflix Prize is a good place to mine data on the accuracy of rating systems and improve them.

pmjoyce 17y ago
What is dishonest about the current systems? The dishonesty (wilful or otherwise) arises from allowing the 5 star system to proxy for something that gives users something meaningful with which to base their decision making. And what makes it look like an opinion system could be honest? I said an opinion system could be made more honest. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that the people voting are misrepresenting their position (the users are dishonest) merely that the 5 star rating system that purports to tell us something of value, doesn't (the system is dishonest). Honesty comes from simplicity and it's my opinion that aligning online recommendations systems more closely with "real world" models is not only purer (in that we'll have a greater innate understanding) but probably more accurate and more helpful as a decision making aid. As for the Netflix Prize, I can't help feeling that it's not much more than asking how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?