information overload and bad decisions - let's...
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Cisco Confidential © 2013 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 1
Information Overload and Bad Decisions John Stevenson Tester
Lets Test Conference 20-22nd May 2013
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The Internet?
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Welcome to the Internet!
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The Internet: Pictures of Cats, Unicorns and
Rainbows! #LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Agenda
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What is
Information
Overload?
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Fooled Ya!
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What has this
to do
with testing?
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What can
we do?
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Q & A
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D. Allen and T. D. Wilson,
“Information overload: Context and causes”
Information overload occurs
when the information available
exceeds the user's ability to
process it
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The human brain can store about 3 Terabytes
of info this is less than 1 millionth of the
information being produced each day.
#LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Future Shock – Alvin Toffler
We have a limited capacity
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Future Shock – Alvin Toffler
It has been seen that
overloading leads to a serious
breakdown of performance
(sometimes with dangerous
results)
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Future Shock – Alvin Toffler
We are, in other words, forcing
them to process information at
a far more rapid pace than was
necessary in slowly-evolving
societies.
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Future Shock – Alvin Toffler
There can be little doubt that
we are subjecting at least some
of them to cognitive
overstimulation.
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Future Shock – Alvin Toffler 1972
What consequences this may
have for mental health in the
techno-societies has yet to be
determined.
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Information overload could prove to be bad
for our mental health - Future Shock - Alvin
Toffler (1972) #LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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AUDIENCE participation time!
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What do you see?
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You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on
Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways
You're Deluding Yourself (David McRaney)
.. your brain hates ambiguity and is
willing to take shortcuts to remove it
from any situation. If there is nothing
else to go on, you will use what is
available. When pattern recognition
fails, you create patterns of your own.
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When pattern recognition fails, you create
patterns of your own - You Are Not So Smart -
David McRaney #LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Numbers Joke: Did you hear about the
statistician who drowned whilst crossing a
river which had an average depth of 3 foot.
#LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Numbers need a story!
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Telling the story of
numbers is vital.
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Using only numbers to
measure WILL measure
the wrong thing!
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Noticing and missing things
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Survey Results
.
How many animals did Moses take in the ark?
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Anchoring/Priming
Do not rely only on
the requirements
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Using only requirements for #testing can
limit your thinking #LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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How does this
relate to testing?
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We base our testing
decisions on our
biases and ‘quick’
judgements
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We create patterns
from our tests where
no patterns may exist
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we ‘by design’ follow
the path of least
resistance with our
thinking
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We make irrational
quick choices that
we are unaware we
are making.
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When we are faced
with too much
information we may not
be able to make
decisions
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Information, the very thing that makes it
possible to be an engineer.. is threatening
our ability to do our work. IEEE Spectrum
#LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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We constantly fail to
apply critical thinking
to our testing.
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Huh?
Really?
So?
James Bach
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What can we do?
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http://tomstuart.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Danger-Slow-Down-Sign.jpg
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http://rlv.zcache.com/think_critically_stickers-p217225515567037288bahz5_400.jpg
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We need to step back from the constant
stream of info and devote time to creative
thinking and careful consideration D. Levy
#LetsTest
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Do not fear mistakes
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-
m56Ctbp1QRs/T540KHgccfI/AAAAAAAAAiQ/Cnq4jMn
-rgQ/s400/mistakes%2B2.jpg
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but do learn from
them.
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Be aware that you are
human and therefore
fallible
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Learn by doing
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_b_-xQ0LmXk4/SID3wJrtVZI/AAAAAAAAAV8/HD3fwC6x-
Kc/s400/Children+learn+by+doing-inspiredmommiedesigns.png
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Have a PASSION for
testing
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http://rrrrun.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/passion_rrrrun.com_.jpg
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Nothing great has been & nothing great can
be accomplished without PASSION – GWF
Hegel . #LetsTest #quote
A TWEET MOMENT!
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Information, the very thing that makes it
possible to be an engineer.. is threatening
our ability to do our work. IEEE Spectrum
#LetsTest #Irony
A TWEET MOMENT!
Thank you. Thank you.
Cisco Confidential © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 61
Slide #61
• Links/References
• http://www.sizes.com/people/brain.htm
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Signal-Noise-Science-Prediction/dp/1846147522/
• http://www.spinachandyoga.com/how-to-navigate-overabundance-of-health-and-wellness-information/
• http://www.theinvisiblegorilla.com/
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Shock-Alvin-Toffler/dp/0808501526
• http://www.amazon.com/Asking-Right-Questions-Critical-MyCompLab/dp/0205111165
• James Bach: http://www.satisfice.com/blog/
• Little Bets - Peter Sims: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Bets-Breakthrough-Emerge-Discoveries/dp/1439170428
• Everything is Obvious - Duncan J. Watts: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Everything-is-Obvious-ebook/dp/B00556G7RY/
• Information Overload: An International Challenge for Professional Engineers and Technical Communicators -
• http://www.amazon.co.uk/Information-Overload-International-Communicators-Communication/dp/1118230132
• http://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/it/how-to-beat-information-overload
• http://boydio.wordpress.com/
• http://iorgforum.org/
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Slide #62
• James Bach
• Michael Bolton
• Rob Lambert
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Slide #63
John Stevenson
@steveo1967
www.steveo1967.blogspot.com
Cisco Confidential © 2011 Cisco and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved. 64
Slide #64