Each Friday, I share a collection of stories, research, or other news and notes related to the role of feedback in complex systems that catch my attention during the previous week. Most of these I share on twitter when I first read about them; if you have a twitter account, feel free to follow me. If you’re not on twitter, I hope that you enjoy this selection of my favourites; links are provided so you can explore each one fully.
Here are this week’s favourites:
- Do different transit signs encourage transit ridership? These modular designs being rolled out in Seattle provide more information to the transit user and are more easily modifiable as tiles can be rearranged or replaced, rather than replacing the whole sign. (via @sustaincities)
- The virtual world meets reality in the new “Affective Intelligent Driving Agent” (AIDA) from Audi and the SENSable City Lab at MIT. A dashboard interface receives and filters information for you, which you then navigate with hand gestures. Or do you simply need a little feedback before you head across the city (if you live in a major US center)? Audi and the SENSable City Lab at MIT have partnered to create a real-time Road Frustration Index that combines traffic incidents, weather, traffic-related twitter feeds, and congestion.
- How much does you grocery store influence your purchases? While you may think of the obvious product placements at the end of the aisle, or certain foods placed right at eye level, there are other more subtle processes at work: Whole Foods primes you to shop too.
Image by Oran Viriyincy on Flickr
Feedback Solutions for Obesity 