Mental Models: Feedback Loops

WE ARE ENGAGED BY SITUATIONS IN WHICH WE SEE OUR ACTIONS MODIFY SUBSEQUENT RESULTS.

7.jpg

How might this apply to great teams and cultures?

Feedback loops are simple to understand: you produce something, measure information on the production, and use that information to improve production. Every step in the process generates information. Enterprises can use such information to increase their efficacy across a variety of segments.

How might this apply to great products?

Does your system respond immediately to user input? Or can you allow people to play with the information, turning a status message into an interactive one? Use numeric data to show people how they are doing, or translate data into analogous visual information. Feedback can be immediate, in the form of a quick challenge, or delivered at a later date as a monthly report.

Consider

What systemic issues cause the most complaints? how do various population segments make their concerns known? what departments receive the most complaints? how quickly does the business solve problems on average?

See Also

Visual Imagery, Appropriate Challenges, Shaping, Sequencing, Periodic Events, Status, Achievements.

###

In the whirl of our day-to-day interactions, it’s all too easy to forget the nuances that distinguish great teams, great cultures, and great products/services.

Mental Model Flash Cards bring together insights from psychology into an easy reference and brainstorming tool. Each card describes one insight into human behavior and suggests ways to apply this to your teams as well as the design of your products and services.