Up and Down the Ladder of Abstraction

"Likewise, the most powerful way to gain insight into a system is by moving between levels of abstraction. Many designers do this instinctively. But it's easy to get stuck on the ground, experiencing concrete systems with no higher-level view. It's also easy to get stuck in the clouds, working entirely with abstract equations or aggregate statistics."

A brilliantly clear explanation of abstraction.

Book Notes: The Upside of Irrationality

• Procrastination is universal
• Make the unpleasant task a part of an enjoyable routine
• Emotionally, we will always avoid negative immediate experiences for long-term gain
• Similarly, we will choose gratifying short-term experiences over long-term objectives
• Our default decision is irrational
• Modern Technological systems seldom take human limitations into account
• The rational economics point of view is
• People always make the best decisions
• Mistakes are less likely when decisions involve lots of money
• The Market is self-correcting
• Sometimes our intuitive feelings are wrong
• Large bonuses are tied to a decrease in performance in cognitive tasks, and an increase in physical tasks
• Performance in a public arena decreases compared to the same task done privately
• A state of 'flow' produces the best performance
• People perform better in tasks in which they find meaning/purpose
• Any sign that your work has matters little annihilates motivation
• 'Contrafreeloading': Given the choice, people will prefer earning money rather than being given it??
• Sisyphean work: Pointless, busy work with no signs of progress
• Division of labour can often mean workers don't see the result of their work
• The IKEA effect: We overvalue things we make, and ideas we come up with
• This works even if we're given a problem and jumbled words and arrange the words to form the answer
• We only value things we make higher if we finish them
• Leads to 'Not-Invented-Here'
•  Can result in slow technological progress
• People will work hard on their ideas to prove them correct (a good thing)
• Seeking revenge is not rational, but knowledge of revenge seeking leads to better cooperation between individuals
• Any proxy for a company is treated like the company itself. Poor customer service reps will result in hatred of the whole company.
• Scorned customers may behave uncharacteristically to exact revenge (such as breaking the law)
• Genuine apologies will often stop scorned parties seeking revenge
• Humans adapt to new situations quickly and far better than anticipated
• Negative outcomes are seldom as bad or last as long as expected
• You will adapt to constant stimuli of any kind. The brain values novelty.
• If you make stimuli intermittent, the brain cannot adapt and ignore it.
• If you have a terrible drop in quality of life, you will almost completely adapt
• We are rarely as miserable, or as happy as we predict on an outcome.
• Interrupt enjoyable tasks to enjoy them more, and do unpleasant tasks all at once to find them more pleasant
• We are closer to Homer Simpson than Spock, and websites should reflect this
• We will empathise more with an identifiable victim. One is a tragedy, a thousand is a statistic
• Closeness to a party improves empathy (eg related, friend, physical proximity)
• Vividness of the experience improves empathy
• "Drop in the bucket" effect: Empathy comes with feeling that you'd be making a difference by helping
• We should not act on negative emotions. They are temporary and the decisions are not.
• Past decisions influence future decisions. We are far more likely to choose the same choice for a identical or similar decision.