You Need to Understand Cognitive Bias In UX
Cognitive biases are unconscious thought patterns that affect how we perceive, interpret, and make decisions. They can have a significant impact on the user experience (UX) of a product or service. Understanding these biases and how they influence user behaviour is crucial for creating effective and user-friendly designs. This article will explore the most common cognitive biases in UX design and provide strategies for addressing them.
Confirmation Bias
This form of bias refers to the tendency to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs and ignore information that contradicts them (Heshmat, 2015). In UX design, this can lead to a lack of user research or a body of research which is bias and untrue. This can ultimately result in designs that fail to meet the needs of the target audience.
Confirmation bias can also lead to a lack of diversity in the user research sample, as designers may only seek out users who they believe will confirm their pre-existing beliefs. To combat this bias, designers should conduct thorough user research and actively seek out feedback from a diverse group of users. Additionally, designers should be open to feedback that contradicts their pre-existing beliefs and be willing to make changes to the design as a result.
Furthermore designers and researchers should consider confirmation bias when constructing their research questions. Junge(2022) provides an example of an e-commerce website who has many customers placing items in their basket but has low sales. The researchers of sed company hypothesise this lack of sales is due to a poorly designed checkout button. During research the company presents the following question to a user:
Was the red checkout button difficult to locate?
This style of leading question has three main issues:
- The question focuses the response of the participant to collect negative feedback on the checkout button.
- The use of negative wording such as ‘difficult’ instils in the participant that there is currently an issue with the button.
- Finally the question is close-ended, meaning the participant may only respond with a yes or no, unless prompted otherwise.
Instead Junge(2022) provides the following alternative as a non leading question:
How was the checkout process? Please explain anything that you liked or disliked about the process.
This question allows the participant room to expand on their response with reasoning to their response. It questions participant but does not prime their response with a negative or positive connotation. This is a neutral line of questioning, and it is something UX researchers should strive for in their testing in order to collect unbiased responses.
Anchoring Bias
This bias occurs when we rely too heavily on the first piece of information we receive when making a decision. In UX design, this can manifest as a lack of flexibility in design solutions. For example, a designer may become too attached to an initial design concept and be unwilling to consider alternative solutions(Interaction Design Foundation, nd). Anchoring bias can also lead to the use of metrics or data that are not truly representative of user needs or preferences. To address this bias, designers should consider multiple options and test them with users to determine the best course of action. They should also be open to pivoting the design direction if user feedback indicates it’s necessary.
Anchoring bias isn’t all bad, in fact designers often leverage anchoring bias to help promote their product or service. Shikhrakar(2020) provides an example of a designer who hopes to install brands value in the minds of the user. Using the principal of anchoring bias; the first thing shown to a user will be anchored in their brain. With this in mind designers often seek to explain the purpose of a brand within the hero image.
The Halo Effect
The halo effect occurs when our overall impression of a person or product is sculpted by one specific trait. It often leads people to be biased in their judgment and, much like anchoring bias can have negative and positive effects for designers.(Szerovay, 2022)
From a negative standpoint, In UX design this can lead to a lack of critical evaluation of the design solution. For example, if a designer has a positive impression of a particular design element, they may be more likely to overlook any usability issues it may have. If they are unable to detach themselves from this biased viewpoint they could create sub-optimal products for the user.
To combat this bias, designers should conduct user testing, gather feedback, and conduct unbiased usability testing. This allows designers to gather a more complete picture of the design and identify any real issues that may have been overlooked.
On the other hand, if a company is promoting a product they could place the most attractive design or selling point in front of the user first. Leveraging the halo principal, there is a potential the user will be so delighted with their first impression of the product or service, that they would be willing to ignore a few bad characteristics.(Gupta, 2020)
The Sunk Cost Fallacy
This bias refers to the tendency to continue investing resources into a project, even if it is unlikely to be successful, because of the resources already invested. For example, a UXUI designer may be reluctant to make changes to a design even if user feedback indicates it’s necessary. This is due to them having already invested time and resources into the design.(Burnett, 2021)
To avoid this bias, designers should regularly reassess the goals of the project and determine if changes are necessary. Place trust in the results of testing, both qualitative and quantitive. And more importantly design teams should never be afraid of pivoting design direction, or even cutting their losses and jumping ship if an idea is destined to fail. Even major leaders in tech such as Google kill projects on a regular basis.
In fact you can see all of the projects which Google have killed for one reason or another, along with their reasons why on Killed by Google.
The Framing Effect
The framing effect occurs when people make a decision based solely on how the information is presented, as apposed to the facts of the information. As phrased simply by Nair(2019); “the same facts presented in two different ways could lead to different outcomes or decisions from people.”
In UX design, this can lead to a lack of consistency in design elements. For example, a designer may present different design options in a way that influences the user’s perception of them, leading to a lack of objectivity in the user’s feedback. To combat this bias, designers should establish a clear design system and ensure that all elements are consistent with it. They should also present design options in a neutral and objective way, avoiding any language or imagery that could influence the user’s perception of them.
The Availability Heuristic
The availability heuristic refers to the tendency to make judgments based on information that is easily available or comes to mind. If a person can quickly recall something then it must be important. This is due to the person having heard it recently or frequently(Gearon, 2020). In UX design, this can lead to a bias towards solutions that are immediately obvious, rather than those that may be more effective but require more effort to discover.
To address this bias, designers should be willing to explore different design solutions and take the time to research and test them. Additionally, designers should seek out a diverse range of opinions and perspectives to prevent being influenced by the opinions of a small group. Conduct workshops with the design team early in the project in order to explore a variety of potential design solutions.
The Status Quo Bias
The status quo bias refers to the tendency to maintain the current state of affairs, even if a change would be beneficial. This is a common human trait that we stick to what we know because it is easy(Buric,nd).
In UX design, this can lead to a lack of innovation and a reluctance to make changes to existing designs. This in turn has the knock on effect of the product or experience not improving. As correctly mentioned by Buric(nd), status quo bias is more of an issue for individuals and teams who are more conservative and less open to exploring new ideas.
To address this bias, designers should be open to new ideas and be willing to experiment with different design solutions. In contemporary UX design there are many methods for rapidly ideating, prototyping and testing potential design solutions. Designers should keep an eye out for new trends and technologies that could improve the user experience, and not be afraid to explore them. Regularly incorporating new ideas and approaches can help keep a design fresh and relevant.
Conclusion
Cognitive biases can have a significant impact on the user experience of a product or service. It can have negative impacts, as well as be leveraged to help promote/ sell a product. Understanding these biases and how they influence designer and user behaviour is crucial for creating effective, user-friendly designs. By conducting thorough user research, considering multiple options, and regularly reassessing the goals of the project, designers can mitigate the effects of cognitive biases. Designers must be open to feedback that contradicts their pre-existing beliefs, willing to pivot the design direction if necessary. This will allow designers to create designs that meet the needs and expectations of the target audience.
References
Buric, R.nd.Status Quo Bias — Everything You Need to Know.Available at: https://insidebe.com/articles/status-quo-bias/
Burnett, L.2021.Letting go of bad ideas.Available at:https://uxdesign.cc/letting-go-of-bad-ideas-c8ee77f8b025
Gearon, M.2020.Cognitive Biases — Availability heuristic.Available at: https://mgearon.com/ux/cognitive-biases-availability-heuristic/
Gupta, P.2020.Falling in love at first sight easily? The halo and horn effect.Available at:https://uxdesign.cc/falling-in-love-at-first-sight-easily-heres-what-you-should-know-about-halo-and-horn-effect-16c7236aeaf6
Heshmat, S.2015.What Is Confirmation Bias?Available at:https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/science-choice/201504/what-is-confirmation-bias
Interaction Design Foundation.nd.Anchoring.Available at:https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/anchoring
Junge, J.2022.Confirmation Bias in UX.Available at:https://www.nngroup.com/articles/confirmation-bias-ux/
Nair, N.2019.The framing effect in UX.Available at:https://uxdesign.cc/the-framing-effect-in-ux-d77df34369ec
Shikhrakar, S.2020.Anchoring Bias: How it affects us & Why is it Important?Available at:https://ux360.design/anchoring-bias-ux/
Szerovay, K.2022.The Halo Effect.Available at:https://uxknowledgebase.com/the-halo-effect-df5097045ac1
