Finds

№ 44 | Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction, Ethics of Influence, Graphic Nobel, The Apple Game, and The Calm Web

Stephen P. Anderson

07 Jul 2023 — 2 min read

Guidelines for human-AI interaction

I kind of like these Guidelines for Human-AI Interaction from Microsoft. As they're context-based—mapping to stages of an interaction—they're easy to use as a kind of checklist or assessment for any AI projects in-development or recently launched.

Ethics of Influence

Elizabeth Ayer shares a presentation on the ethics of influence: Changing minds: you can but should you? [⚠️ Warning. Annoying. Slideshare. Ads!] This is one of those topics I tend to weary of, having ‘worked it all out’ while writing my first book, Seductive Interaction Design. However, I like Ayer's simple framing, placing things an ethical spectrum. That, and this tends to emphasize the same place I've landed, with phrases like: “Power to.” “Facilitation.” “Coaching.” “Building Capability.” These kinds of ideas sit behind my professional mantra: “Work and learn together.”

Graphic Nobel

Ooh. Nobel prizes in physics explained with cartoons!
And, you can download the first 3 chapters [PFD] (of Volume 1) for free!

The Apple Game

🤔 The Apple Game, from Tim Urban (of Wait But Why).

I’d like to introduce you to a game I’ve been playing with friends for years. It’s not a game really—more of an exercise. The purpose is to add a bit more depth to the question, “Are you a good person?” Here’s how it’s played: Treat a person like an apple, with three layers of depth… [More in the post]

Calm web

Sigh. I'd like a calm web. Wouldn't you?
The Calm Web: A Solution to Our Scary and Divisive Online World

***BONUS: Clever antonym typography
I'm kind of enamored with this Clever Antonym Typography by Yash Mathur:

(More examples in the post!)

№ 97 | Workshops and Wizards Cards, Human Agency Scale, System Health Over Time, 10 Notable Data Visualizations, Your Brain as a Closet, Two Org Frameworks from John Cutler, ‘A Busy, Busy Day at the Airport’, and SideQuest Decks!

Your regular dose of playful things to think with, and think about! Workshops and Wizards cards (UPDATE) A few issues ago, I shared an early prototype of the Wizards & Workshops cards from James Smart, a small set of fantasy themed ‘kudos’ cards participants can give to each other during

№ 96 | Cards for Uncertainty, The Curiosity Curve, Communicating to Reduce Resistance, Envisioning Cards, Scrutinizing “Best Practices”, Nick Sousanis on Due Process, and Reservoir Sampling

Welcome to issue № 96 of the Thinking Things newsletter, your regular roundup of playful ‘things to think with’ and think about… Cards for Uncertainty I want to kick things off with a question to think with, asked by Zbigniew Janczukowicz at the last Cardstock meetup, a question that left us

№ 95 | Conquest (a VUCA Game), PLOT4AI Card Deck, MANY Ways to Launch a Startup, Union-Co-ops Zine, Power Skills, Barrier Island, and A Computational Public Space

Conquest (A Game to Explain VUCA) 😍 Mmm. A board game to learn about VUCA [LI]. More to the point: A board game designed for players to experience Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. Ever wanted to explain VUCA to managers without boring them into a coma? We The Catalyst made a

№ 94 | Archipelago of Possibilities, Strategically Vague Questions, Pattern ABC Cards, Letter to a Young Systems Thinker, The Heroine’s Journey, and A Theme Park in Miro

Here’s your regular dose of playful things to think with, and think about! Archipelago of Possibilities This single photo was enough to derail me from whatever I was doing, and get my mind whirring at the creative possibilities. Look at the canvas map! Where do the cards come from?