Some thoughts on group intelligence in product design

About Group intelligence (Collective FDI) has been fired up in the Web 2.0 era, such as a bunch of so-called Central, user-generated-0content (UGC) Web2.0 sites: Video, SNS, Wiki, Blog, Digg, Twitter, BBS, IM, rss,google such search engine to user search behavior, click Stream Aggregation Processing, Amazon, Taobao such E-commerce site recommendation system, comment system can also be grouped into the category of wisdom.

On the topic of group wisdom is too big, here mainly from the product design level of thinking about the wisdom of the group. Let's start with a few relatively small products that also use swarm intelligence:

Firefox adblock Plus, autoproxy plug-ins:

In fact, and Adblock Plus function similar noscript also very good, but Adblock plus more convenient is for the common web site filtering rules can be downloaded directly from the server and automatically updated, and do not need to be like NoScript manual one to add maintenance. These shielding rules are common to a contribution from the general public;

The autoproxy used for the wall is similar to the Foxproxy, and the list of Web sites that are blocked by the great G.F.W can be downloaded directly from the server without the need for a manual increase, although the foxproxy is more powerful in functionality.

Mobile software Network Qin communication Butler:

Traditional call firewall, phone Butler, such as the software does not have networking functions, for harassing calls require a user to add a manual maintenance, and the Network Qin's communications housekeeper from the client collection of these garbage phone and upload to the server to form a garbage phone library, users can directly from the server to download the ready-made garbage phone library. This is not to say that the Net Qin rubbish or not, this product design at that time still quite has the originality.

Similar examples include stopbadware that provide Google with a list of harmful websites.

It can be seen that the rational use of the power of group intelligence for the optimization of product design, product operation, user experience are of great significance.

But there are also a lot of examples of group intelligence abuse, such as 360 Safety and Health (HTTP://BIT.LY/9EXBX4), Green Dam, QQ, Taobao Brush Drilling alliance and so on.

Some thoughts on group wisdom in product design and product operation:

1, to play the value of group wisdom, products must be able to solve the user needs pain point

Do not assume that there is a product, users will naturally be interested in coming from the willing to help you improve the product, especially when the product is worthless to him. Time is precious, life is precious. To mobilize the enthusiasm of the user dedication group, the product must be able to help users solve some problems, so that the opportunity to interact with the user, thereby sticking to the user, so that users willing to willingly dedicate their wisdom.

Group wisdom must be built on the core value of the product, only after the product of the user has the core value of the threshold, the group of Wisdom for the value of the product can erupt.

2, around the product core functions, about ease of use, reduce product usage threshold, do not force users, interference users

In product design, we always worry about not this function, without that function, and then add a bunch of features around the core function, in the navigation menu listing a stack of advanced features, users come in and faint.

A typical example is the use of tag tag. Now basically all the sites are pretending to provide the function of the tag, and forcing users to tag, scoring, but for most users: What is the label, what is the use of the label is difficult to understand, so, or empty or play a mess, It's a far cry from the idea that we want to classify classification, aggregate clustering and produce recommendations by labelling.

User level has rookie level-> Intermediate-> Senior-> Senior-> enthusiast level, the display of product function should also be layered, for most people to provide the most core, most commonly used functions, the rest of the function allows users to dig, create, in the excavation, create the process of fun, so that resources to dedicate their wisdom , and through Word-of-mouth and other means to help promote product marketing.

The most typical of Twitter's growth history, such as RT, hashtag (#), @ and so on, is created by users, no wonder Wired magazine says Twitter's success stems from swarm intelligence

3, to avoid human intervention factors to ensure the authority of system credit system

The user is willing to devote a lot of energy to a product, dedicate their group intelligence, must first establish in its to the service provider culture recognition and to its product trust.

Therefore, one of the key points of the service provider's product operation is to establish a set of relatively perfect account system, credit system, shape product brand, and maintain the authority, fairness and rationality of the system in the process of product operation. In the context of China's reality, the product operation certainly involves the commercial, the political factor, but cannot because the commercial, the political factor becomes the product credit system first decision power, loses the basic commercial standard product The final result can only be despised by the user, even if its short-term can by various means to deceive the ordinary consumer and the user.

This is one of the reasons why I would rather trust Google, Facebook, Twitter, than QQ, 360, or Baidu.

4. The results of group wisdom need data to support, measure, but not simple formulation

Web Analytics is an essential tool to effectively measure the results of community intelligence, such as measuring the effects of network marketing, the user experience of product design, user behavior habits, and so on. The Web analytics the data from multiple levels, multidimensional and multi-angle.

But in the use of data, we generally for the convenience of the use of simple formulations to measure user behavior, a typical example is Taobao sellers, sellers credit points, for commercial interests, we face the simplification of the credit integral formula, the use of the brush credit, the first to use the construction of false transactions, and then "creative "There is a heap of use of collective wisdom in the name of Taobao Brush Drilling Alliance (for example, vest, net business housekeeper, etc.), and finally Taobao itself the authority of the credit system also caused a great impact. In fact, from Google always PageRank metrics as a core secret can be seen, the measurement of group intelligence should not be simple formulation.

With regard to the application of data, Facebook's Adam Mosseri shared the data informed, the not data driven view is indeed a real insight, or can refer to how Facebook uses data to guide design

5, there is no perfect artificial intelligence algorithm, the core of group intelligence is the group, a living person

For technicians like us, it's exciting to be able to automate such things as product referrals, like-minded, automatic news aggregation, etc. through algorithms such as collaborative filtering, data mining, and artificial intelligence. But limited to the current level of technology, the above dream can only be in the initial stage, such as Techmeme, FriendFeed technology-oriented site development experience has proved that purely technical means to deal with group intelligence is not perfect.

Of course, we believe in the power of technology, and will one day be able to achieve these goals through technology. Only in the current pursuit of technical means to solve the problem of group intelligence, we should not forget that we face is a living person, one can feel our sincerity through the product, enthusiastic people, so it is not the operation of the product, rather is the operation of people.

Establish with the user efficient, two-way communication channel product operation important means, here the channel can be SNS, BBS, Blog, Twitter and so on. Through these communication channels to enhance interaction with users, so that users build trust in the company and products, listen to the voice of the user leader, collect user suggestions for products and so on.

6. Privacy issues

Although the Chinese do not pay much attention to privacy issues, we can frantically through the client to dig their own needs of various data, and can be the name of the United States: cloud computing, privacy protection. These can be used to access group intelligence data by violating user privacy, although it may be helpful in the short term for things outside the product or product, such as political stance. But the recent 360, QQ two each other nasty story tells us: you dirty, your competitor will be more dirty, but will dress up than you sounding, a gentleman, you do not comply with some of the principles will be equally not comply with the unlimited amplification to attack opponents. Come out and mix, always want to return.

So do not exist in the production of a lucky mind, for some basic business principles or to be as far as possible to comply. The core competitiveness of a product cannot be expected to be based on a long-term abandonment of basic business principles.

Source: http://www.yeeach.com