BuroNorth

Nudge nudge..

I’ve been boring anyone who will listen about a great book I have just finished, ‘Nudge - Improving Decisions About Health Wealth and Happiness‘ by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein.

While both Thaler and Sunstein are clearly from the behavioral and political sciences, this book makes great reading for those with an interest in wayfinding and design.

Don’t be put off by the title, which I think reads like a self help book! In fact the book introduces the reader to the idea of ‘libertarian paternalism’ building a compelling argument to ‘design’ systems and processes which maintains an individuals freedom of choice while promoting desirable behaviour.

Thaler and Sunstein describe the designers of these systems as ‘choice architects’ - ‘…influencing people’s behaviour in order to make their lives longer, healthier and better’ while preserving their right to make poor decisions. These ideas are attractive, as they reveal an alternative to the nanny-state and its desire to modify our behaviour though legislation and prohibition. Even better, Thaler and Sunstein challenge their readers to become ‘choice architects’ developing their own nudges.

As a designers of wayfinding systems, this book has made me question my role in meeting the commercial and operational objectives of our clients and the responsibility I have to maintain the rights of the end user to make their own choices. For examples of nudges and an opportunity to share your own nudge ideas have a look at the website, www.nudges.org

The Large Hadron Collider

Is a particle accelerator being built on the border of Switzerland and France. These photographs from CERN show various stages of completion, and several of the larger experiments. Apart from being in complete awe of this incredible feat of engineering and scientific exploration, the thing is just bloody beautiful. There is a lot of commentary about the potential of creating black holes and scientists lack of understanding about the consequences, which makes for some funny and interesting reading, but I just keep coming back to the scale, symetry and absolute beauty of it….

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Secret Lives of Magnetic Fields

A must watch video… Taken at NASA’s Laboratories, are the recordings of space scientists describing the ever-changing geometry of magnetic fields, and the evolution of the fields as they delve into our inaudible surroundings. We don’t understand either, but by golly it’s beautiful.!

Magnetic Movie