Konubinix' opinionated web of thoughts

EAT Model

Fleeting

EAST model but without the social aspect. Because I think a good tool is a nudge.

I believe that most systems we use need to be.

Easy
so that we can focus on the task, not the tool,
Attractive
or else we will try to avoid using it (cognitive resistance),
Timely
in the tool is not available when we need it, chances are we won’t go get it,

Actually, I believe that this model is tightly related to cognitive ease. Stuff that are easy, clear and just in time tend to favor a feeling of trust, of truth. Therefore, I think that this model could also be extended with Repeated, as it is also a source of cognitive ease. I assume that the Social aspect of the EAST model already covered that part.

This is linked to qualia and dogfooding, because only when experiencing an easy system one can feel what its like to experience an easy system. Also, this cannot be defined similarly for every one. We can try to reduce the scope to only the people that the tool is aiming at, but nothing says that they all share the same feeling about what is Easy or Attractive. The least we can do is to study some cohort and try to find a main tendency.

Also, it is linked to lettre de l’open source vs l’esprit de l’open source, because when you create an open source software, it might follow the rules of open source and yet be pretty useless for another. Therefore, when releasing something in open source, one might want to have the EAT model in mind.

take advantage of the novelty bias

I think that novelty is a reason why some tools are used a lot at first and then put aside, when people get bored. I think that it is due the fact that discovering the new toys induces a spike of attractivity, compensating for possible lack of easiness or timeliness.

I think that during that time, if you feel like this tool should be used in the long run and may not be as easy and timely as you think it should be, you should try to work on the timeliness and easiness. Otherwise, it will likely end up in the trash along with several other old new toys.

example of situation with a EAT pkms

  • What is this stuff I heard about lately?
  • I want to ask my pkms (Attractive), let’s ask it (Timely).
  • It took me a few second to find out the system does not know (Easy).
  • Now that I remember, let’s add this knowledge to the system (Attractive).
  • It took me a few seconds to add the information (Easy).
  • Well well well, there are some stuff that

example of situation with a not EAT pkms

  • What is this stuff I heard about lately?
  • I realize it might be in my system, but I still try harder to remember (not Attractive).
  • I eventually ask the system, doing several searches. I end up not quite sure whether it knows and I did not ask correctly or it does not know (not Easy).
  • Now that I remember, I’m happy and move on, not thinking about extending the system (not Attractive).
  • (if I finally decide to extend the system) Well, how can I put this information in it? (not easy)

example of situation with a EAST CKMS

  • Alice: What is this stuff I heard about lately?
  • Alice looks into the ckms but finds nothing (Attractive)
  • Alice: Bob, what is this stuff I heard about lately?
  • Bob: Let’s look into the system (he finds nothing) (Attractive)
  • Bob: Well, it is this and that, let’s extend the system together (Attractive)

example of situation with a not EAST CKMS

  • Alice: What is this stuff I heard about lately?
  • Alice: Bob, what is this stuff I heard about lately? (not Attractive)
  • Bob: Well, it is this and that (not Attractive)

[…]

  • Alice: Shouldn’t we extend the system? (not Attractive)
  • Bob: Well, yeah, let’s look at it. Where should I put the information? (not Easy)

Notes linking here