Brainstorming session 4

19 January 2010

Dynamic programming and optimisation

-we realized that several problems of optimization directly lend themselves into crowdsourcing problems.

Our categorization of all the crowdsourced problems into three categories yesterday, gave us new insights. We realized that all huge problems of category one and three, could be solved by collecting simple data from people. this data is perhaps so simple, that it seems trivial for an average human. we co-related this newly acquired knowledge to the concept of surveys. surveys were boring to take up. people resist taking surveys. so the question that popped into all of our minds was

"What if we can make 'surveying' fun?" .. this sparked a series of discussions. Surveys have all the characteristics needed for a 'wise crowd'

1. Privately held information by the player.

2. Independance of decision making.

3. Decentralization of decision making.

Aggregating these surveys is a great way to solve a big problem at hand. 

We decided to think of non-traditional ways to make the survey taking interesting. 

-a game that wraps a survey into a fun-filled experience-

Survey-like game notes 

Want to build a framework that puts surveys into game form

What do surveys have in common:

• Questions and answers
• Can be unbiased/objective but can also allow survey takers to enter text
• Can create different types of games for different types of surveys
• Need sufficient time to read the question and interpret
• Can build in crosschecks for coherence
• Could be used as a scoring mechanism
• If people don't answer consistently they can lose points and the surveyor knows to throw out that survey
• Must be FUN
• Replayable
• Can show the distance from the end as a map (like Super Mario World)

 

Ideas/Models for games:

• Super Mario World
• Pacman (Question can be revealed one word at a time with each dot eaten)
• Music Note/Composition (a song is composed based on your answers to the questions)
• Create lots of games and the surveying company can choose what game to use for each question or for their entire survey
• Bow and arrow game (question is revealed by drawing the bow, then aim at the appropriate answer)
• Drawing game (drag the mouse to the answer you want, but there is an object following the mouse that you must get to the answer safely or in one piece – like a missile or a ball or a puppy)
• Bowling game (question revealed on the alleyway as the ball rolls over it)
• Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em Robots
• Boxing game
• Tetris
• Jellyfishing (like SpongeBobSquarePants) -> have a net and must catch jellyfish
• Blockbreaker (question is hiding throughout the level so you must eliminate all the blocks to see the question, the game then pauses long enough for you to choose an answer, then you move on to the next level)
• Question appears one word at a time as the character jumps/bounces

 

In our game:

1. Each answer path must be equally fun and equally challenging
2. We should make sure the player has read the question by making it a necessary action to complete the game
3. There should be no time limits, so people aren't pressured into answer quickly rather than honestly
4. There should be an option to confirm or change the answer (like a little pop-up at the end of every level where you can choose to retry the level or move on to the next level)

Alternately:

1. We could introduce the challenge only in obtaining the question.
2. On obtaining a question, the player is presented with an answer.
3. Once he answers, we proceed to the next challenge of getting the next question.
4. So the player has a motivation to complete the survey.
5. Having repeat questions that check the integrity of the survey is a great option to ensure the fairness. 
6. Getting repeat questions can be associated with a goody or reward in the game.

We discussed several ideas like the player disclosing the question as he plays the game. this is less that 30 seconds that is.. we would ensure that the player would read the question before answering it.

In summary, we continually motivate our player to answer successive questions fairly. Using this survey like thing can be used to solve several crowdsourcing problems that weigh every person's response. example: price prediction ( stock? ), movie success prediction, fuel consumption and perhaps hundreds of problems we face in our daily lives.