Ask people to order things, not score them

Ever graded an essay? Given scores to interview candidates? Given a rating to an item on Amazon? Liked a video on YouTube? We’re constantly asked to rate or score things on absolute scales. It’s convenient: you only have to look at each thing once to give it a score, and once you’ve got a set …

Human language isn’t the best way to chat with Siri or Alexa, probably

The year is 2019. Voice-controlled digital assistants are great at simple commands such as “set a timer…” and “what’s the weather?”, but frustratingly little else. Human language seems to be an ideal interface for computer systems; it is infinitely flexible and the user already knows how to use it! But there are drawbacks. Computer systems …

Talking to a bot might help with depression, but you won’t enjoy the conversation

Mental illness is a significant contributor to the global health burden. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) provided by a trained therapist is effective. But CBT is not an option for many people who cannot travel long distances, or take the time away from work, or simply cannot afford to visit a therapist. To provide more scalable …