Caterina Fake's Hunch.com, launching Monday, is already redefining 'decision engine'

Microsoft's megabucks advertising campaign for Bing.com couldn't have come at a better time for Flickr co-founder Caterina Fake's new consumer advice site, Hunch.com.

With much pomp and circumstance, Microsoft is trumpeting the notion of a "decision engine" -- an online service that helps users make the right choice on a variety of lifestyle and purchasing questions.  That description might loosely apply to Bing's approach to Web search, but it fits Hunch -- which launches Monday -- to a tee.

After a year in development, Hunch aims to supply users with computer-generated answers to thousands of lifestyle questions -- what kind of dog should I buy; what should I get Dad for Father's Day; which book by George Orwell would I like?

Rather than searching the open Web for answers, like Bing, or collating written opinions, like Yelp or Mahalo Answers, Hunch compiles personally tailored advice: First, it figures out what kind of person you are with a long personality test, then it offers a list of hunches about the choice a person like you would be most likely to make. 

The more people use the site and create data-rich demographic profiles, the founders hope, the better Hunch will get at guessing your preference.

"We’re nothing like a search engine," Fake said in an interview from New York.  "We’re more related to the answers sites."  (After Fake rode Yahoo's acquisition of Flickr into a position at that company, she worked on Yahoo Answers, where the idea for Hunch germinated.) 

"Bing is kind of doing us a big favor by popularizing the idea that people go online to make decisions. But I don't think we're competitive with them."

Still, Fake said, "they have this $80-million [ad] campaign that talks about decisions.  We’re kind of like, go Microsoft!"

-- David Sarno

Comments

[jenkins]

played with Hunch and found it to be VERY gimmicky and NOT terribly useful. Would never use it again, sorry to say.

[johnson]

I tried Hunch and found it incredibly useful. Not sure if Jenkins was using the same website.

[leeeeroy jenkins]

played with Hunch and found it to be VERY useful and NOT terribly gimmicky. Would definitely use it again, happy to say.

[Eugene]

I've played with Hunch a few times. It's quite a fun product. But it's way too much work to really be a useful "decision engine". I'd much rather have a google-type two-step experience: enter query, review results. The multi-step experience makes me think too much. We've all been spoiled by the simplicity of the search engine experience.

[Clint Eastwood]

looks like a great way for a market research firm to learn how you think and what you think of. hunch can add your data to all the other crap that's known about you, pretty soon you'll find yourself squeezed dry and liking it. you need help making a decision? call your mom.