Discovery is the new cocaine Going beyond engagement By: Ming Yeow Ng, Yu-shan Fung (Discoverio) Note: Section on “ Flow ” was derived from “ The Science Of Designing Interactions” (SXSW 2008) by Andreas Weigend (people and data), and Ming Yeow Ng (Discoverio)

Why should you care about Discovery? First off…

First off…

What is it about a Web site that might make it literally irresistible ? We are programmed for scarcity and can't dial back even when information is abundant … (addictive sites) all presented new information that somehow needed to be interpreted … this triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good … From Wall Street Journal: Source: WSJ, Why We're Powerless To Resist Grazing On Endless Web Data March 12, 2008

We are programmed for scarcity and can't dial back even when information is abundant

… (addictive sites) all presented new information that somehow needed to be interpreted …

this triggers a chemical reaction that makes us feel good …

From Wall Street Journal:

Done right, Discovery can make a website irresistible! In other words….

In other words….

Desire by humans to be a live node in the network We are always… “ Constantly scanning the peripheral, always motivated by the desire not to miss opportunities” “ Desire for other people recognizing us , make us feel important.” “ Services that win are those that help us protect, filter, create meaningful connections ” Linda Stone What drives Discovery? Source: Etech 2006

We are always…

“ Constantly scanning the peripheral, always motivated by the desire not to miss opportunities”

“ Desire for other people recognizing us , make us feel important.”

“ Services that win are those that help us protect, filter, create meaningful connections ”

Linda Stone

What drives Discovery?

What is Discovery? Allowing users to: Discover new, valuable information Get Discovered by others Discovering more about themselves

Allowing users to:

Discover new, valuable information

Get Discovered by others

Discovering more about themselves

Discovery of Information New and Richly interpretable information triggers chemical reactions Facilitate user towards:

Facilitate user towards:

Twitter, Friendfeed: Constant stream of new information New information

New information

Facebook Breakups “ Who was she ?” “ Was his girlfriend pretty??” “ You mean she is gay???” Richly Interpretable

Facebook Breakups

“ Who was she ?”

“ Was his girlfriend pretty??”

“ You mean she is gay???”

Richly Interpretable

Get Discovered by Others “ Who is paying attention to me?” “ Am I being recognized ?” Helping users to:

Helping users to:

MyBlogLog Who is checking me out? Who is paying attention to me? Twitter Who is following me?

Who is paying attention to me?

Discover More About Themselves “ Who am I to others ?” “ What do I like ?” Allowing users to: Key here: People do not know what they want!

Allowing users to:

Tickle: What am I ? (400 million personality tests taken) The Old Personality Test The New Personality Test What am I to others ?

The Old Personality Test

Amazon : Collective Recommendation What do I like? Stylefeeder: Analyzing attributes

What do I like?

Facilitate the Discovery Cycle for your users Taking all 3 types together:

Taking all 3 types together:

The Discovery Cycle for Your App Continuous Learning, Contributing, Recognition Engage and allow contribution of information , leaving of footprints , and giving of feedback 2) System to generate new insights for user 1) Discovery of Content and Users 3) Other Users to discover him Data becomes basis for: Personalized Recommendations Interactions that lead to reciprocity and interactions User learning more about himself Throughout the process: (Keeps him coming back!) Meaningful connections gets established

The Discovery Cycle for Your App

“ Intermittent Variable Reinforcement “ “ One of Skinner's most important discoveries was that behavior that is reinforced intermittently is much more difficult to extinguish than behavior that is reinforced continuously .“ – via Kathy Sierra "You are not sure you are going to get a reward every time or how often you will, so you keep pulling that handle.“ - Patricia Wallace on slot machines Done right, this leads to

“ One of Skinner's most important discoveries was that behavior that is reinforced intermittently is much more difficult to extinguish than behavior that is reinforced continuously .“ – via Kathy Sierra

"You are not sure you are going to get a reward every time or how often you will, so you keep pulling that handle.“ - Patricia Wallace on slot machines

Discovery is less about predicting precisely right about what the user wants It is more about the entire user flow of discovery , with all the hits and misses In other words... Think window shopping down the mall or walking through an expo hall

In other words...

Discovering Activity by Social Graph Based on live updates My good friend The guy with great events The babe I check out Based on collective behavior and attention data

Collective Judging Collective Behavior

No concept of individual Personalization

Crowdvine: Updated profiles, comments are on front page Helping users get discovered Clear attention/intention data Crowdvine: want-to-meet, fan

Apache Social Network: Open source projects worked on together Connecting based on commonalities

Connecting based on commonalities

Exploitation Exploration

Connecting based on mutual interest

Randomness that shows the new and richly interpretable Flickr: Interestingness Etsy: Many ways to shop

Randomness that shows the new and richly interpretable

Etsy: 10 different fun ways to discover! (boring categories are at the end) Make it fun to explore

Make it fun to explore

Understanding the elements of “flow” Feedback, Rewards, Lightweight, Reducing uncertainty How to create the right user experience? Inspired by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi

How to create the right user experience?

Direct and immediate feedback Successes and failures in the course of the activity are apparent, so that behavior can be adjusted as needed Elements of flow (1)

Elements of flow (1)

Feedback can be by system or can be by other users Feedback for users to guide their future behavior Metrics for: Maslow Hierarchy Contribution to others Achievements Popularity Wrong-doings

Feedback for users to guide their future behavior

Yelp: popularity, achievement, and contribution How am I doing?

How am I doing?

Cash = power Value = desirability Points as indicators of power and desirability

Points as indicators of power and desirability

Linkedin Profile Completeness Pointing out “deficiencies” to induce actions Setting expected “norm”

Setting expected “norm”

Rewards Intrinsically Rewarding Clarity of Reward Recognition for contribution Elements of flow (2)

Elements of flow (2)

Twitter: Self Expression is its own reward Intrinsically Rewarding

Intrinsically Rewarding

Twitter: Validation, and Social Interaction are powerful rewards by themselves Intrinsically Rewarding

Intrinsically Rewarding

Clear recognition for intended actions Digg: Made popular by… Crowdvine: Updated profiles, comments are on front page

Clear recognition for intended actions

Best Match: Invite 10 to see “best matches” Making Rewards Clear and Explicit

Making Rewards Clear and Explicit

GetSatisfaction: I have this question too! Suggest action and clarify reward

Suggest action and clarify reward

Lightweight Interactions Make it easy for users to contribute Elements of Flow (3)

Elements of Flow (3)

Crowdvine: Fan : expression of confidence Want-to-meet: initiate relationship Lightweight, In the moment expressions Yelp: Variety of lightweight interactions directly on reviews

Lightweight, In the moment expressions

Lijit: Made the process entertaining and a little mysterious, with rewards at each step Make user do as little as possible Signup Time 15m -> 2m Conversion 0.1% -> 4% Source: Lijit, SXSW 2008 Automated retrieval of external data, all user needs to do is confirm

Make user do as little as possible

Woot: One Single Action Do not make users think

Do not make users think

Reducing fear and uncertainty Uncertainty, even irrelevant uncertainty kills action Elements of Flow (4)

Elements of Flow (4)

Twitter: Communicating with little fear of incurring cost to recipient Assurance that it is up to recipients’ “mode of receiving”

Assurance that it is up to recipients’ “mode of receiving”

Zoosk: Flirt vs risk Reducing Personal Commitment

Reducing Personal Commitment

HotorNot: No risk of “rejection” Surfacing Improbable Matches

Surfacing Improbable Matches

Crowdvine: Showing social behavior right on frontpage Reducing uncertainty on “correct” behavior Latest Comments

Reducing uncertainty on “correct” behavior

Day Trading Elements of Addiction MMORPG Attractor: Things happening outside your control in the system, yet affecting your status Motivator: You have a stake (self-esteem/emotional/financial) in changes happening to your status Source: "Ariadne - Understanding MMORPG Addiction" Nick Yee

Elements of Addiction

Attractor: Things happening outside your control in the system, yet affecting your status

Motivator: You have a stake (self-esteem/emotional/financial) in changes happening to your status

Systematically Introducing Discovery Into Your App (uncompleted) Know what data points you need (Individual / Collective / External) Know what mode of discovery (Recommendations / Search / Browsing) Create pathways of discovery (Filtering / Anchoring ) Maximize exploration / exploitation within the pathway (Intention / Attention) Providing reasons/context for discovery ( Context/Persona/Content) Facilitating mediums for connections (Currency / Reputation) Understand what metrics you need (Diversity, Virality, Engagement) Process by Ming Yeow Ng, Yu-shan Fung (Discoverio)

Know what data points you need (Individual / Collective / External)

Know what mode of discovery (Recommendations / Search / Browsing)

Create pathways of discovery (Filtering / Anchoring )

Maximize exploration / exploitation within the pathway (Intention / Attention)

Providing reasons/context for discovery ( Context/Persona/Content)

Facilitating mediums for connections (Currency / Reputation)

Understand what metrics you need (Diversity, Virality, Engagement)

We LOVE Feedback!!! Discovery is a new, unexplored and very exciting area to be innovating in, and we love to hear from anyone who is just as excited about this as us! Touch base with us via any of these mechanisms mingyeow@discoverio.com | @mingyeow (twitter) yushan@discoverio.com | @ambivalence (twitter)

Discovery is a new, unexplored and very exciting area to be innovating in, and we love to hear from anyone who is just as excited about this as us!

Touch base with us via any of these mechanisms

mingyeow@discoverio.com | @mingyeow (twitter)

yushan@discoverio.com | @ambivalence (twitter)