I am absolutely fascinated with the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.\u00a0 This mystery gives us a perfect window into how we view, react, and interact with technology and our ability to make up stories to explain the data.<\/p>\n
I am not talking about stories in the sense of the bedtime lullaby that we tell our kids but rather how we make the data fit our beliefs. It\u2019s confirmation bias at work, and the reason why we cannot ignore the Human Element when dealing with technology, especially when working with gamification and connected devices.<\/p>\n
Connected devices -an aircraft is quite a connected device- simply collect and return data about a given activity.\u00a0 The connected devices are not in the business of analyzing the data (explaining the past) or even less about recommending the next steps (forecasting the future). This data crunching activity falls upon the software and the deus-ex-machina known as the algorithm.<\/p>\n
Hardware and software have an advantage over us Humans in that they can \u201cbend time\u201d:\u00a0 their processing power allows them to sort, analyze, and coalesce a huge amount of data in a very little time. This is where computers can help us make better, more informed decisions; by giving us access and feedback loops into a bigger knowledge set.<\/p>\n
The key element is recognizing that the collected dataset often leads to speculations based on beliefs. \u00a0For example, there is only scant data available about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. \u00a0What we know is very limited and should be taken with a huge shaker of salt given how forthcoming\u00a0governments are \u00a0with raw data (\u201cSay Bob, should we really let them know how good our satellites are?\u201d)<\/p>\n
Yet, look at all the theories and scenarios that have surfaced over the past 11 days. \u00a0We now have the full spectrum of options from a catastrophic failure taking the plane down to the crew doing a re-enactment of Flight 714 for Sydney by Herg\u00e9. What is even more amazing though is that as new data becomes available few people change their original theories but rather use the new data to fit their model of what happened.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this confirmation bias behavior spreads into the (mis)use of any connected device that we come in contact with and while you can almost record anything, how you make the data fit your lifestyle is really the intriguing part.\u00a0 At Mobile World Congress, several manufacturers showcased (of all things), connected toothbrushes.\u00a0 For up to $250 you can get not only a full report on how long you brush your teeth but also the quadrants and intensity. And the device will also bring you news and music as you brush.\u00a0 Fun times.\u00a0 You can pull up the app and show you friends and dentist how well you take care of your teeth.\u00a0 At the same time, insurance companies love the fact that they are gathering data around brushing habits to adjust their premium.<\/p>\n
The world is good until you get a cavity or a root canal and realize that there are tons of other elements that come into keeping your teeth healthy, none of them being trackable via a connected toothbrush.<\/p>\n
What happens then, as the dentist inserts the needle in the patient’s mouth, though reflects the biggest challenge for connected devices.\u00a0 People will not think \u201cgee, maybe I shouldn\u2019t have eaten candies nightly after brushing my teeth\u201d but rather \u201cthis connected toothbrush sucks, I can\u2019t believe I spent that much and still have a cavity\u201d.\u00a0 We try to blame the tool rather than the belief.\u00a0 We wonder why there aren\u2019t better tracking systems in an airplane when the root of the problem may have nothing to do with tracking a flight to begin with. Connected devices should entice us to challenge the belief.<\/p>\n
There are a few conferences coming up in the coming months: One in Cambridge,\u00a0IoT14<\/a>, (UK) put together by the group that runs Business of Software and one in Paris,\u00a0Connected Conference<\/a>, put together by Rude-Baguette.\u00a0 I hope the speakers will go beyond the marketing and hype talks and dive into the core challenge of connected devices:\u00a0 How do you properly communicate information to the \u00a0end-users to give them the tools they need to make the right decisions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n