
Visualizing good behavior - stevehaz
https://medium.com/@SteveHazel/visualizing-good-behavior-6e2e89067fa1
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metasean
It may be useful to a wider range of potential users to have an api for task-
specific information. Then the open source community could use Benome to
display the results of other tools (e.g. `done` tasks in TaskWarrior[0]).

This would increase actual productivity (i.e. users don't have to mark an
existing todo item as done in one tool _and_ click a button in Benome). It
would also mean that the Benome is available where ever the user is, without
Benome having to store or transmit task-specific data.

[0] [http://taskwarrior.org/](http://taskwarrior.org/)

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stevehaz
You make a fine point, an API would definitely have a place. Right now because
this is only a one-man side project, I'm focusing on behavior that isn't
already digitized and wouldn't be without something like Benome.

My view is that the vast majority of goal-relevant behavior is not available
to individuals in digital form and so it isn't visualized and there's no
insight to be gained or value extracted. While data-aggregators or ad networks
may have a lot of digitized behavior data, people themselves tend not to. I'm
hoping that Benome (or the ideas behind it) can help improve that situation.

~~~
metasean
I agree. Visualization of goal-data is an important piece that isn't well
covered at this point.

For users that want a simple, "get me up and running" solution, the Benome
button approach to data collection could be very satisfying (in a Happy
Button[0] way).

I just see the possibility for wider adoption and contributions if it were
more modularized to separate the data input and the visualization.

There is definitely value in Benome's visualization. One of my personal goals
is to use Taskwarrior. Because I'm trying to optimize my workflow –not add
more overhead– I'm not going to _add_ the Benome data input to my workchain
just for the visualization. However, if I could simply connect my Taskwarrior
data to Benome, I would absolutely use it (and it would probably reinforce my
self-reflection and subsequent data input).

[0] [http://the-happy-button.myshopify.com/](http://the-happy-
button.myshopify.com/)

~~~
stevehaz
It sounds like you're saying the information might as well be able to come in
the back door (via API) as well as the front door (via direct input like
buttons), and let users choose their balance. That way early adopters or
innovators can benefit without having to change their workflow, such as in
your example.

I'll add it to my big list, though there's several prerequisites to take care
of first.

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metasean
RE: API and 'let users choose their balance' Exactly :)

RE: 'big list' Totally understand! It seems ever expanding todo lists are
becoming a modern perpetual epidemic. Thinks to self, "If only we had good
tools to make them easier to wrangle and learn from." ;)

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TeMPOraL
Cool, though I have to ask - why the direction of all those graphs is
backwards? I.e. the future is on the left, and past on the right?

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stevehaz
Author here, thanks for your comment.

I think left-to-right works in this case because my target audience is the
everyman, not only technical or highly-educated folks. In my experience,
people care mostly about the meaning of the information and don't care much
about graphs or data in themselves. In that sense, I think of this kind of
graph as more of a word or a sentence than a traditional graph, and mostly we
read words left-to-right.

~~~
dhimes
I'm with TeMPOraL on this. Every kid learns graphing with the horizontal axis
increasing to the right. Only the tech folks play with other styles very much.

Because this is backwards, I'm trying to figure out what I'm missing. Am I
supposed to be thinking backwards in time? I get confused on what I'm trying
to get out of it, decide I don't understand what you're talking about, and
move on. Just my $0.02.

The less people have to relearn the easier it is to get them on board, all
else being equal.

~~~
stevehaz
I'll have to do some A-B testing.

The key here is that I've integrated this particular type of graph as part of
a larger interactive visualization or UI. Within that larger system, the graph
is generated in real-time in direct response to your input about your own
behavior.

I put up an interactive demo here:
[https://benome.ca/Intro/](https://benome.ca/Intro/)

So in the intended context, graph's meaning is more clear than it appears at
first glance. But in any case, it's easy enough to switch a graph's direction.

~~~
dhimes
So it scrolls by like an ECG chart? Which way do you read those?

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stevehaz
I can't speak to ECG's, but rather like an animated time series except in the
reverse direction.

As you say, the norm is right to left, highest priority (now) on the far
right, like this:
[https://square.github.io/cubism/](https://square.github.io/cubism/)

It must be an acquired taste, or contextually dependent, because even though I
do plenty of metrics visualization which is right-to-left, left-to-right for a
high-level view of behavior feels fine to me.

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JacksonGariety
>Be the hero, save the world >We’re drowning in low-quality information

Right. Self-promotion on Hacker News does not help.

~~~
stevehaz
I appreciate that you've taken a deeper look into my work. I'm doing it all
out in the open, including open source, which I think many people on HN
appreciate.

For others wondering what this comment is referring to, the article in
question is [https://medium.com/@SteveHazel/we-re-drowning-in-low-
quality...](https://medium.com/@SteveHazel/we-re-drowning-in-low-quality-
information-cf9566d407a9). In it I lay out a lot of the concepts behind the
graph-like visualization of human behavior that is the current topic.

