Cognitive bias
is an umbrella term that refers to the systematic ways in which the context and
framing of information influence individuals’ judgment and decision-making.
There are many kinds of cognitive biases that influence individuals
differently, but their common characteristic is that—in step with human individuality—they
lead to judgment and decision-making that deviates
from rational objectivity.
In some cases,
cognitive biases make our thinking and decision-making faster and more
efficient. The reason is that we do not
stop to consider all available
information, as our thoughts proceed down some channels instead of others. In
other cases, however, cognitive biases can lead to errors for exactly the same
reason. An example is confirmation bias, where we tend to favor information
that reinforces or confirms our pre-existing beliefs. For instance, if we
believe that planes are dangerous, a handful of stories about plane crashes
tend to be more memorable than millions of stories about safe, successful
flights. Thus, the prospect of air travel equates to an avoidable risk of doom
for a person inclined to think in this way, regardless of how much time has passed
without news of an air catastrophe.
Researchers
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman conducted a number of studies on cognitive
bias and found that framing identical information differently (i.e., presenting
the same information differently) can lead to opposing decisions being made.
This means that cognitive biases play an important role in information design,
because they influence users’ or customers’ decision-making processes. How we
present information on webpages and user interfaces can affect how likely users
are to perform certain actions, such as purchasing a product.
Literature on Cognitive Biases
Here’s the entire UX literature on
Cognitive Biases by
the Interaction Design Foundation, collated in one place:
Some of the world’s leading brands, such as Apple, Google, Samsung, and General Electric, have rapidly adopted the design thinking approach, and design thinking is being taught at leading universities around the world, including Stanford d.school, Harvard, and MIT. What is design thinking, and why is it so popular and effective?
Design Thinking is not exclusive to designers—all great innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering and business have practiced it. So, why call it Design Thinking? Well, that’s because design work processes help us systematically extract, teach, learn and apply human-centered techniques to solve problems in a creative and innovative way—in our designs, businesses, countries and lives. And that’s what makes it so special.
The overall goal of this design thinking course is to help you design better products, services, processes, strategies, spaces, architecture, and experiences. Design thinking helps you and your team develop practical and innovative solutions for your problems. It is a human-focused, prototype-driven, innovative design process. Through this course, you will develop a solid understanding of the fundamental phases and methods in design thinking, and you will learn how to implement your newfound knowledge in your professional work life. We will give you lots of examples; we will go into case studies, videos, and other useful material, all of which will help you dive further into design thinking. In fact, this course also includes exclusive video content that we've produced in partnership with design leaders like Alan Dix, William Hudson and Frank Spillers!
This course contains a series of practical exercises that build on one another to create a complete design thinking project. The exercises are optional, but you’ll get invaluable hands-on experience with the methods you encounter in this course if you complete them, because they will teach you to take your first steps as a design thinking practitioner. What’s equally important is you can use your work as a case study for your portfolio to showcase your abilities to future employers! A portfolio is essential if you want to step into or move ahead in a career in the world of human-centered design.
Design thinking methods and strategies belong at every level of the design process. However, design thinking is not an exclusive property of designers—all great innovators in literature, art, music, science, engineering, and business have practiced it. What’s special about design thinking is that designers and designers’ work processes can help us systematically extract, teach, learn, and apply these human-centered techniques in solving problems in a creative and innovative way—in our designs, in our businesses, in our countries, and in our lives.
That means that design thinking is not only for designers but also for creative employees, freelancers, and business leaders. It’s for anyone who seeks to infuse an approach to innovation that is powerful, effective and broadly accessible, one that can be integrated into every level of an organization, product, or service so as to drive new alternatives for businesses and society.
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Trust and the Issues that Customers Face when Making Purchasing Decisions Online
If you want to make sales, you need to be able to persuade customers to hand over their credit/debit card details or Pay
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