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Make Better Decisions: How to Improve Your Decision-Making in the Digital Age
An essential guide to practicing the cognitive skills needed for making better decisions in the age of data, algorithms, and AI.
Data promised to make decisions easier. Algorithms promised to reduce how many decisions we need to make. AI promises—or threatens—to make human decisions obsolete. Yet, the opposite is happening because modern data makes decisions harder and AI makes human judgment more—not less—valuable.
All decisions contain an implicit prediction about the future which seems increasingly unpredictable, even chaotic. Data is supposed to help but it doesn't if it's too complex for humans to find meaningful. Data that is confusing, inaccessible, or ambiguous will leave humans relying on their intuition. The result is an evolutionary mismatch between how we think and how machines help us decide.
Make Better Decisions contains 50 nudges that have their lineage in scholarship from behavioral economics, cognitive science, computer science, decision science, design, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Each nudge prompts the reader to use their beautiful, big human brain to notice when our automatic decision-making systems will lead us astray in our complex, modern world, and when they'll lead us in the right direction.
Data promised to make decisions easier. Algorithms promised to reduce how many decisions we need to make. AI promises—or threatens—to make human decisions obsolete. Yet, the opposite is happening because modern data makes decisions harder and AI makes human judgment more—not less—valuable.
All decisions contain an implicit prediction about the future which seems increasingly unpredictable, even chaotic. Data is supposed to help but it doesn't if it's too complex for humans to find meaningful. Data that is confusing, inaccessible, or ambiguous will leave humans relying on their intuition. The result is an evolutionary mismatch between how we think and how machines help us decide.
Make Better Decisions contains 50 nudges that have their lineage in scholarship from behavioral economics, cognitive science, computer science, decision science, design, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. Each nudge prompts the reader to use their beautiful, big human brain to notice when our automatic decision-making systems will lead us astray in our complex, modern world, and when they'll lead us in the right direction.
205 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 29, 2022
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49 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
October 20, 2022
As a psychotherapist of many years I was looking at the book through the lens of its usefulness to clients as well as its coverage of the topic in general. I found the research to be impressive, the format user-friendly and the examples illuminating. I can see this as a guide for anyone interested in this topic and will be recommending it. J.T. Barnard, LCSW
November 23, 2022
Highly useful book. Both for beginners and for people who already have studied the topics related to decisions, psychology and critical thinking. For the former, it is a very good introduction to this theme.
Simple, concise and actionable.
For advance learners, it is a good supporting book as it refers the pioneers of the field and summarises their core ideas in a few words.
The format is having 50 nudges, that is, 50 ways to improve decision making. Very practical to use. Already implementing them.
Simple, concise and actionable.
For advance learners, it is a good supporting book as it refers the pioneers of the field and summarises their core ideas in a few words.
The format is having 50 nudges, that is, 50 ways to improve decision making. Very practical to use. Already implementing them.
December 3, 2022
This book provides a wide variety of ways to expand one's thought processes and methods in making any decision - whether a major business decision, a challenging values-based decision or even a personal conundrum.
Helen and Dave have developed a highly useful and practical list of about 50 different approaches (they call 'nudges') to drive better decisions. These have been synthesized from the insights from a range of leading decision experts into succinct and actionable summaries. The authors also provide examples of how to use them, generally finding that applying just 3 different 'nudges' to a decision can make a meaningful difference.
Which ones to use? It's all dependent on which ones are most relevant to your challenges. For example, in revising some of my career objectives, I am found using "Right vs Easy"; and "Seeds of Regret" very helpful. In dealing with a specific business strategy (from a board position) where there is a lot of uncertainty, I have found it useful to focus on "being more curious/asking better questions"; "be less wrong" "which not whether".
As Helen and Dave are also experts in data and AI, they have great insights and very practical advice on how best to factor in data/AI into decision making. It can be great for some decisions, especially when the insights are based on repeatable, routine situations. But don't underestimate ourselves! Humans are much better when it comes of context, concepts and the unpredictable.
Helen and Dave have developed a highly useful and practical list of about 50 different approaches (they call 'nudges') to drive better decisions. These have been synthesized from the insights from a range of leading decision experts into succinct and actionable summaries. The authors also provide examples of how to use them, generally finding that applying just 3 different 'nudges' to a decision can make a meaningful difference.
Which ones to use? It's all dependent on which ones are most relevant to your challenges. For example, in revising some of my career objectives, I am found using "Right vs Easy"; and "Seeds of Regret" very helpful. In dealing with a specific business strategy (from a board position) where there is a lot of uncertainty, I have found it useful to focus on "being more curious/asking better questions"; "be less wrong" "which not whether".
As Helen and Dave are also experts in data and AI, they have great insights and very practical advice on how best to factor in data/AI into decision making. It can be great for some decisions, especially when the insights are based on repeatable, routine situations. But don't underestimate ourselves! Humans are much better when it comes of context, concepts and the unpredictable.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews