Just a hunch

June 15, 2009 8:28 AM

Hunchpicks up "where a search engine leaves off," according to cofounder Caterina Fake, who previously cofounded the photo-sharing site Flickr and later worked on Yahoo Answers. Fake points out that a normal search engine would provide a user interested in buying a digital camera with links to hundreds of sites that review and compare the latest models. The user then has to sort through that information and figure out which camera is right for her. Instead, Hunch asks users pointed questions and narrows down the list of results for the user.
posted by Man with Lantern (46 comments total)

Link to actual site.
posted by DU at 8:35 AM on June 15 [8 favorites has favorites]

I hope it does better than the digital camera example. Asking someone "Do you want a 'point and shoot,' an SLR, or a Rangefinder camera?" as the second question strikes me as not that helpful if the asker doesn't already know what the differences are between them (and why else would they be asking to begin with?).
posted by tommasz at 8:37 AM on June 15

Unfortunately while the idea seems good, the implementation is awful.

Initially, almost every page gave me "Hunch has encountered an error" messages, in between randomly logging me out without me realising it. This was pretty damn annoying but I could live with a few launch-day issues, figuring it would improve over time.

Then, my account just vanishes... completely deleted, so I recreate it.

Things seem to be getting better, I stay logged in for longer and see less errors, and then once again I'm logged out, try to log back in only to be told "That account is no longer active". And of course I can't even post in their support form without an account!

If this is the way they intend to run it then I don't see much chance of it being successful or popular - right now I consider it a slightly polished turd :)
posted by jon4009 at 8:37 AM on June 15

The home page just asks me an endless series of questions.

I tried around 10 searches in the search bar at the upper right of the screen, but got zero results.

I have a hunch this won't last long.
posted by brain_drain at 8:40 AM on June 15

The home page just asks me an endless series of questions.

It asked me the same one about six times (out of forty).

Not sure if it's buggy, or it's probing my honesty.
posted by rokusan at 8:41 AM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]

I played with it for a while... I'm thinking that, for the most part, people wanting information are not going this route.... it didn't seem very intuitive and the knowledge base is so limited...

And, why would we need this when we have AskMe????
posted by HuronBob at 8:41 AM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]

I'm glad this has no potential for gaming of the results by sellers or the search engine! Why wouldn't I trust a third party to selectively remove information until I am left with very few options that are picked by them with the very purpose of influencing my purchases?

It'll be great, and has the benefit over google that I heavily qualify my interests and sub interests on the tracking cookie every time I use it. Which also has *no* potential for being good-to-sell-to-everyone and/or steal whilst in the hands of a startup that may go bust.

In summary, I feel completely comfortable with this concept.
posted by jaduncan at 8:42 AM on June 15 [6 favorites has favorites]

Yeah, it fails at the 'needs a tutorial to tell you how to use it' stage for the general web user.
posted by Happy Dave at 8:45 AM on June 15

MetaFilter: while the idea seems good, the implementation is awful
posted by Joe Beese at 8:45 AM on June 15

Seems kind of like a half-baked retread of Ask Jeeves to me. I'll come back and try again when it is fully baked.
posted by spilon at 8:46 AM on June 15

I asked it to give me a healthy, easy lunch and it suggested cheeseburgers and pizza once. Haven't been back since.
posted by cellphone at 9:01 AM on June 15

Alpha rolled out exactly one month ago; it's been two weeks since Bing debuted. What would-be Google Killer will the first of July bring us?
posted by Iridic at 9:07 AM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

Agh! About half of the questions it asks you are a telemarketer's wet dream. "Are you a premier member of any airline's frequent flyer program?" "Do you currently subscribe to any magazines?" "Which section of the newspaper do you prefer to read?" "Do you like Microsoft?" "Do you own an iPhone?"

I can almost hear the whirring machinery of some marketing firm as they gather research on me.
posted by darkstar at 9:15 AM on June 15 [7 favorites has favorites]

It recommended a book for me that I'm pretty sure I won't read. But I didn't have any trouble using it at all, and I didn't mind answering all the questions. I've recently found I like surveys because I do so much reading online lately, I don't do much self-examination; questions help, even if it's "Are you a morning person?"
posted by MCMikeNamara at 9:17 AM on June 15

I tired this site when it first launched and it sucked. They basically dictate which categories you can or cannot make.
posted by jon_hansen at 9:30 AM on June 15

I like answering questions, so I answered all of the ones that it had for me.

That said, I can't think of a single question that I would ask wherein this website could help me. Not a one.
posted by grapefruitmoon at 9:34 AM on June 15

"Is today your birthday?"

(no)

"Thanks! 50% of respondents chose the same answer."

...?!
posted by JHarris at 9:46 AM on June 15 [8 favorites has favorites]

They asked me how many full-length mirrors are in my bedroom. Weird, but whatever. Then I tried to do a search for "boots," and was redirected to "books." No. I finally managed to get a question about shoes, but after choosing "flats," most of the choices it recommended were high heels. I'm not exactly sure of the operating principles behind this, but it isn't working.
posted by mai at 9:52 AM on June 15

Alpha rolled out exactly one month ago; it's been two weeks since Bing debuted. What would-be Google Killer will the first of July bring us?

Hey, remember Cuil?? Yeah, neither does anyone else.
posted by inigo2 at 9:57 AM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

Hate to add to the pile on, but this is sucks to a degree that even hype-cynical me found surprising.

I asked about something I was familiar with: "What should I do for fun in Berlin?"

After asking me what kind of activity I was looking for (Culture/Performing Arts) and what part of the city I was in (Kreuzberg), it gave me four choices: #1, The Jewish Museum and #3, Berghain (techno club), which are two very different kinds of "fun." #2 was "Learn to drive a tank", which reads like an ad and does not fall within any standard definition of "Culture/Performing Arts."

#4 was "Go shopping on the Ku-damm" which is not in Kreuzberg and is in another category that I didn't choose: Shopping.

This is so not ready for prime time and needed to spend a lot longer in Beta.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 9:57 AM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]

Also, do they disclose their relationship, if any, with the people who make the products they recommend? Asking for advice about condoms (for example) gets you information that reads like it was cut and pasted straight from a press release.
posted by foxy_hedgehog at 10:02 AM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

It told me I wanted some Greek food for lunch, which I have to say is a damn good idea.

Now I'll go to Google to find out where to get some...
posted by rusty at 10:21 AM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]

bleah.
posted by R. Mutt at 10:29 AM on June 15

Its clunky and I can't see myself using it, but it did accurately give me my favourite type of art and genre of music first time based on the questions I answered.
posted by fire&wings at 10:43 AM on June 15

I don't understand how to use this. Can I only ask questions that have been asked before? There's no way to ask whatever question I want to?
posted by bluefly at 11:03 AM on June 15

Oh, I see now, it only helps you on the targeted topics created on the site. I think the language in the post connecting it to a search engine confused me. I don't think I would use it right now.
posted by bluefly at 11:07 AM on June 15

Of the 16 or so paths through this one, 8 end up with one answer and 8 the other. So very lame.
posted by DU at 11:09 AM on June 15

I'm not having any glitches, so they may have boosted server power since the thread started.

There are clearly some pretty short or odd decision trees, but I believe this will improve as people learn how to add questions or results. If you don't like what you're getting, as with foxy_hedgehog's experience, you need to open up the [Actions] menu and add a question to improve the tree itself or add a result to add another leaf to the node you arrived at. This is not intuitive, though, and should probably be given some more prominence in the UI.

I do wonder what controls will be in place to prevent results spamming, as jaduncan and others worry is already happening. Crowdsourcing may provide a counterweight, but there's great potential advantage in also being able to design the questions, so we'll see.
posted by dhartung at 11:13 AM on June 15

"Caterina Fake" is the best fucking name.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:30 AM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

I was hoping answering lots of questions would bear fruit, but when I asked it what kind of cheap wedding ring to get my fiance, it just listed four nearly identical bands from the same online store. Bleh.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 11:38 AM on June 15

Tried to test "What movie should I see?" Suggestion #5 is "Which film rendition of the Shoah should I see?" Answer: "Shoah."
posted by incessant at 12:00 PM on June 15 [1 favorite has favorites]

I still don't know what movie I should see, because the other suggestions were things like "Should I watch the Watchmen movie?" and "Which movie soundtrack should I listen to?"
posted by incessant at 12:04 PM on June 15

I gotta say, the site works great! The first question I gave it: Which search engine should I use?

"Google"
posted by Xoebe at 12:59 PM on June 15 [3 favorites has favorites]

I was slow trying to think of some query to type, so it showed me a list including "Which gun is right for me?" Having no idea which gun is right for me, I clicked on that.

I told it I'd like a hunting rifle, that I don't care if its collectible or stylish, and not much else. It has informed me that the gun for me is the P90, a Belgian submachine gun, with a 50-round magazine, ideal for special forces and anti-terrorist units. I wouldn't have guessed it.
posted by sfenders at 1:00 PM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

Hunch is essentially as useful as a Facebook Quiz tool. The results are about as accurate as 'what superhero are you'.
posted by jeffkramer at 1:37 PM on June 15

I asked "whether I could fit my fist in it" and the follow up question is

"Would you like the feeling of this room to be more:
* Light and breezy
* Rich and complex"

Well, my fisting dungeon room is generally on the "alarming and complex" side, but that doesn't address any of my actual questions.
posted by FatherDagon at 1:41 PM on June 15 [2 favorites has favorites]

the gun for me is the P90, a Belgian submachine gun

What does a Belgian submachine gun fire? Waffles?
posted by lukemeister at 1:49 PM on June 15

Also, do they disclose their relationship, if any, with the people who make the products they recommend? Asking for advice about condoms (for example) gets you information that reads like it was cut and pasted straight from a press release.


I think users are the ones who add the questions and suggestions. So basically it's like Ask, but with a lower quality set of suggestions (because you guys are smart).

Some of the decision trees are terrible: I tried the suggested 'what Smiths album should I listen to?'. It asked 'do you want a compilation?' (reasonable); 'do you want a live album?' (reasonable); 'do you want their first album?' (hmmm); 'do you want their last studio album?' - no, I want a recommendation for what their best album is. That's all.

The science fiction writers one wasn't too bad, though. But as others have said, it forces users to jump through pre-defined hoops, whereas AskMe or even Y___o ! A_____rs allow you to construct the question you actually want to ask.
posted by Infinite Jest at 1:58 PM on June 15

On the gripping hand, it did nail the choice of 90s British comedy series. Trouble is I've already seen (and liked) it.
posted by pharm at 2:06 PM on June 15

On the gripping hand

Heh.
posted by shakespeherian at 2:56 PM on June 15

Wow - is it 1999, or 2009? I was a product manager at Ask.com from 1999 to 2002, where I worked on a product called the Jeeves Advisor, combining cutting-edge (well, cutting edge for 1999) decision-tree technology with natural language search against structured data sets, so the comparisons to Ask are apt. We built nifty little engines that helped customers pick the best digital camera/high-top Nikes/laptop/mid-cap stock/what-have-you...But I can't help but think that we haven't advanced much since then. What little difference 10 years makes. I assumed at the time that it was only a matter of time before Google took the ideas Ask pioneered and perfected them (we had several dozen other great projects before the crash killed the company, some of them obvious (Jeeves Mail, Jeeves News) some less so (Personal Assistant Voice-Activated Jeeves). Heady times - it seemed then that the state of the art advanced more in six months then than the last five years of search technology.
posted by piedrasyluz at 8:47 PM on June 15

I thought we talked about this when it launched -- I know I started an account, farted around with it for a few hours, created a topic or whatever it's called, couldn't see any actual utility for me personally, and haven't really been back since except to just poke around and see if there was anything new.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 12:10 AM on June 16

I actually got some interesting recommandations for a fantasy novel to read (and one Robert Jorda - ugh), but I seem to be in the minority here.
posted by Harald74 at 1:07 AM on June 16

What's up with this recent trend of "deciding for you"? The google CEO was also talking about Google being able to answer "what should I do tommorow" type questions. Bing is being marketed as a 'decision engine' with great results for "plane tickets, health questions and product purchases" and now this is supposed to tell you what to do and what to buy.

It seems like a search engines wet-dream, think of all the money they could make advertising when you already know what the user wants. But the question is: who wants a search engine making these kinds of recommendations? When I search for something it's because I want some information.

Who out there feels like they're so dumb that they can't figure these things out for themselves if they're given good information? Who actually wants this? Of course I suppose if even 1% of the population is interested in services like this, they'll make plenty of money.

The only thing I can think is that a health information expert system might be helpful because most people aren't really going to be able to integrate medical information very well.
posted by delmoi at 4:55 AM on June 16

The only thing I can think is that a health information expert system might be helpful because most people aren't really going to be able to integrate medical information very well.

As far as knowledge systems have come, I still don't think I want one giving me medical advice. I'm good enough at reading Wikipedia and coming up with awful disease possibilities on my own, thanks.
posted by spitefulcrow at 5:24 PM on June 16

It took me about two minutes to figure out why my search for "airbrushes" was being interpreted as "Which artificial tan is best for me?"

It took me less than a second to close that tab.
posted by Netzapper at 10:39 PM on June 16