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User experience (UX)

Understanding human decision making, influence on UX design​

Every day we are faced with countless decisions, ranging from the simplest to the most complex. Understanding this decision-making process is crucial for UX designers because it allows them to create interfaces that match the way users think and act.

The fundamentals of decision making​

Definition: Decision making is a cognitive act where an individual evaluates alternatives and chooses a course of action based on their goals and preferences.

Importance in UX design: An effective interface anticipates the user's decision-making process to provide a more fluid and intuitive experience.

Analogy: Think of decision-making as navigating through a maze. Good UX design is like a guide that helps users navigate this maze quickly and efficiently, avoiding dead ends.

Factors influencing decision making​

cognitive biases​

  • What is it? Thought patterns that can divert our decision-making from pure logic.
  • Example: Anchoring bias makes us rely too much on the first information received, a bit like a sailor anchors his boat at the first point he sees, even if it is not the best.

Emotions​

  • The impact: Our feelings can strongly influence our decisions, sometimes even without us being aware of it.
  • Analogy: Imagine your emotions like changing weather, they can influence the direction a sailboat takes (decision) on the water.

Information overload​

  • challenge: Too much information can be overwhelming and hinder decision-making.
  • UX solution: Organize and filter information to avoid decision fatigue.

Decision-making models​

Compensatory model​

  • Description: Detailed evaluation of all options.
  • Analogy: It's like going shopping with a precise list in hand.

Non-Compensatory Model​

  • Description: Use of shortcuts or a single dominant criterion to decide.
  • Analogy: It's like buying the first item that catches your eye during a flash sale.

Satisfactory model​

  • Description: Selection of the first option that meets the basic criteria.
  • Analogy: It's like choosing a restaurant based solely on proximity, without consulting reviews.

Principles to support decision making

Gradual Disclosure: Offer information in stages to avoid overload. Cognitive aids: Like road signs, they guide users through the interface. Feedback: Give immediate feedback, like a GPS that confirms you are on the right track. Defaults: Like a recommended route, they provide a pre-established path based on common or efficient choices.

Cognitive Bias List Resources

https://thedecisionlab.com/biases

Cognitive biases and their influence on human thinking

Decision-making, although it often seems logical and rational, is influenced by a multitude of cognitive biases. These biases are systematic deviations in the way we process information, and they can often lead us to erroneous conclusions or biased judgments.

The fundamentals of cognitive biases

definition: A cognitive bias is a tendency to process information in a way that leads to systematically erroneous perceptions, judgments or decisions.

Origins: These biases often have an evolutionary basis, serving at one time as mental shortcuts for survival, but may be less relevant or even counterproductive in the modern world.

Analogy: Think of cognitive biases as colored glasses. Each tint (bias) can distort the way we see the world around us, even if we think we see clearly.

Common types of cognitive biases

confirmation bias:

  • Description: The tendency to seek, interpret and remember information that confirms our pre-existing beliefs.
  • Example: Read only articles that support our political point of view.

anchoring bias:

  • Description: The tendency to rely too much on the first information encountered (the anchor) when making decisions.
  • Example: If the first price you see for a product is high, a second price, even if it is still expensive, will seem more reasonable in comparison.

representativeness bias:

  • Description: Judging the probability of an event based on its similarity to a prototype existing in our mind.
  • Example: Thinking that someone is thrifty simply because they wear glasses, based on the stereotype that people wearing glasses are studious.

availability bias:

  • Description: The tendency to base our judgments on information that immediately comes to mind.
  • Example: After seeing a news report about a plane crash, you might overestimate the risks of flying.

Impact of biases on decision-making

When unrecognized, cognitive biases can lead to incorrect decisions, reinforce stereotypes, and limit our openness to new information. By recognizing these biases, we can work to minimize their impact.

By deeply understanding human decision-making, UX designers can guide users through their digital “mazes” with ease and efficiency. It is the art of combining human psychology with design to create remarkable user experiences.

Cognitive biases shape the way we perceive the world and make decisions. By being aware of these “colored glasses,” we can hope to see the world more objectively and make more informed decisions.