Cognitive biases are an integral part of our lives. Despite their predominance, we know little about this irrational thought mechanism. We will see together the importance of cognitive biases in a UX Design strategy (from a user point of view but also applied to UX Designers) and the main biases that can be found in this field. This is how by learning to identify them we will be better able to understand them and improve our behaviors and our interfaces .
In the photo we see 2 busts, one red and one blue, and drawings of brains.
What is a cognitive bias?
Cognitive biases come from cognitive psychology which puts the human mind at the heart of concerns. Bias theory was introduced in the early 1970s by psychologists Daniel Kahneman (book: System 1 / System 2: The Two Speeds of Thought ) and Amos Tversky to justify irrational decision-making. It is described that the brain processes decision-making in two stages: a first quick and intuitive thought followed by a second slower and rational one . It is during this first stage that cognitive biases appear.
It is a form of thinking and its distortions that make us make a judgment or an assessment quickly . As surprising as it may be, we reason 95% with the first system of fast and intuitive thinking. So to avoid saturation in the face of cognitive load because it cannot process all the data at the same time, our brain has adopted a shortcut. This unconscious process is called "cognitive bias".
The “Codex” map groups them into 6 categories :
Sensory-motor biases : illusions linked to the senses and motor skills;
Judgment biases : distortions of the ability to judge;
Attentional biases or attention biases : attention problems;
Memory biases : linked to memory;
Personality biases : relating to social influence, culture or language;
Reasoning biases : paradoxes specific to reasoning.
They are very numerous and omnipresent . We are immersed in cognitive biases every day without even realizing it because they impact many fields and sectors: marketing, advertising, cognitive sciences or precisely user experience design . It is therefore interesting to dwell on them a little longer.
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The 10 essential cognitive biases
More than 250 cognitive biases are listed in the “Codex” map. We have chosen to present our top 10 essential biases in UX Design :
1. The Von Restorff effect
Affects the way we perceive and remember things. We will be more able to remember things that are out of the ordinary .
Example of UX application : An interface will be all the more impactful if the important information and actions stand out from the rest due to their shapes or colors (on action buttons, keywords, etc.)
The von Restorff effect
2. The Ikea effect
Work can lead to excessive appreciation . For example, an individual will place more value on a product that he has partially created because it is the "fruit of his labor."
Example of UX application : Letting the user perform zalo database personalization actions by themselves (complete their profile, add music to a playlist, etc.) will strengthen their connection with the service/product.
Ikea effect
3. The simple exposure effect
Repeated exposure to the same element promotes familiarity with it.
Example of UX application : The implementation of graphic codes using a design system will subsequently facilitate user interaction and navigation on the site.
4. The halo effect
Starting from a specific characteristic to form a more general judgment . We can decide to see everything as black or white based on a simple detail that will have formed our initial opinion.
UX application example : The UX designer must pay some attention to the aesthetics of the interfaces. They are the showcase and will determine the first impression that users will have of the proposed service.
5. Status Quo Bias
A distrust of change and novelty which are rather perceived as a source of risks. The user will be more reassured when faced with choices that he has already experienced.
Example of UX application : The UX designer will have to favor progressive improvements and avoid any sudden changes that could frighten the user.
Status Quo Bias
6. Confirmation bias
A tendency to favor information that confirms what we already thought rather than reasoning in a more scientific way and trying to confirm or not our hypothesis.
UX Application Example : When conducting user research, the wording of the UX Researcher's questions is important. It must remain as neutral as possible so as not to direct and bias the user's response.
7. Negativity bias
Our attention will tend to focus initially on negative information rather than positive. This is an instinctive and primal way for us to stay on our guard.
UX application example : An error message on an interface will be perceived much faster than the rest.
8. The contrast effect
The perception of information is affected by the perception of information of an opposite nature produced previously or at the same time.
Example of UX application : Pay close attention to the fidelity and identical quality of the screens during an A/B test. Indeed, we cannot compare wireframes to graphic mockups.
9. The Hawthorne Effect
As a result of the attention they get from being selected for an experiment, respondents/test subjects change their behavior which will result in greater motivation .
Example of UX application : This effect will be very useful during ideation and co-design workshops but should be avoided during user testing.
10. The Ringelmann Effect (Social Laziness)
In collaborative tasks, paradoxically, the more members of a group increase , the more individual performance tends to decrease . The size of a group can therefore affect productivity.
Example of UX application : In order to avoid this bias, it is recommended to favor small groups during ideation workshops.
