Users and Algorithms: Incorporating User Centered Design and Advanced Algorithms into Agile Engineering - Atlassian Starter Day 2010
3 likes518 views
The document discusses Aardvark's approach to improving web search by addressing subjective questions, which drive revenue but are often unreliable. It emphasizes the importance of social search for personalized answers and outlines their user-centered, agile engineering process for product development. The document also shares key principles and additional resources for further reading on social search and user-driven design.
Users and Algorithms: Incorporating User Centered Design and Advanced Algorithms into Agile Engineering - Atlassian Starter Day 2010
- 2. Our Product
- 3. Web search is great for objective questions, but subjective questions generate majority of revenues Queries Search quality X00B/yr RPMs Examples • What is Einstein’s birthday? 45% Great Low Objective • How much is the cheapest iPhone? • What’s a decent housekeeping service in 30% SF? How much should it cost for a small Research two bedroom place? • What’s a good book to read about 25% Ok High Romantic Poets? Opinion
- 5. Improving a familiar experience Friends already answer subjective questions, but... • Unreliability of a small number of friends available to you in the moment • Hard to keep up with what your extended network knows about • Social cost of asking for a favor Why Social Search? • Users want personalized responses to questions • Most content is still locked in peoples' heads • Each individual’s network is growing exponentially • Social intimacy makes information actionable • Questions about how to spend your time and money are subjective
- 6. Our Principles and Process
- 7. Minimize risk by maximizing trials Conception: • Picked a problem area • Prototyped in serial • Abandoned many attempts along the way Implementation: • User-centered agile engineering • Wizard-of-oz research leading algorithmic automation • Recruited a core team, contracted to fill gaps • Focused on continuous acceleration
- 10. Wizard-of-oz research leading algorithmic automation
- 11. Team and process learnings Experiment with process as much as with product • Assume you are wrong • Make continuous improvement the goal • Hire and indoctrinate to support process Exploit collective wisdom • Task people to collect and disseminate learnings • Set aside regular time for discussion • Make transparency the default
- 12. Additional Aardvark reading/viewing • White paper on Aardvark Social Search - ( http://vark.com/aardvarkfinalwww2010.pdf) • How we do qualitative user research at Aardvark ( http://blog.vark.com/?p=314) • Our approach to design and development processes ( http://blog.vark.com/?p=49) • Preaching User-Driven Design ( http://ventilla.posterous.com/preaching-user-driven-design) • Startup Lessons Learned Aardvark Case study ( http://www.justin.tv/startuplessonslearned/b/262666882) • Why Machines Need People ( http://blurkerlab.blogspot.com/2010/04/video-damon-horowitz-at- tedxsoma-why.html)