Confirmation Bias and UX — 101
What is confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is the tendency to search for, interpret, favour, and recall information in a way that confirms or supports one’s prior beliefs or values. People display this bias when they select the information that supports their views, ignore contrary information, or when they interpret ambiguous evidence as supporting their existing attitudes. The effect is strongest for desired outcomes, emotionally charged issues, and for deeply entrenched beliefs. Confirmation bias cannot be eliminated, but it can be managed, for example, by education and training in critical thinking skills.[1]
One of the earliest demonstrations of confirmation bias was in Peter Watson’s (1960) experiment, in which the subjects were asked to find the experimenter’s rule for number sequencing.
Its findings revealed that the participants chose responses that supported their hypotheses while dismissing contradicting evidence, and that even if their hypotheses were incorrect, they quickly gained confidence in them (Gray, 2010, p. 356).
Despite the fact that evidence of confirmation bias has surfaced in psychological literature throughout history, the phrase “confirmation bias” was first used in a 1977 paper reporting an experimental investigation on the subject (Mynatt, Doherty, & Tweney, 1977).[2]
Tip: A hypothesis is an idea which is suggested as a possible explanation for a particular situation or condition, but which has not yet been proved to be correct.[3]
What is an example of confirmation bias?
For example, imagine that a person holds a belief that left-handed people are more creative than right-handed people. Whenever this person encounters a person that is both left-handed and creative, they place greater importance on this “evidence” supporting their already existing belief. This individual might even seek “proof” that further backs up this belief while discounting examples that do not support this idea.
Another example, a neighbour who thinks dogs are inherently dangerous seeing a vicious dog attack an innocent child. Another neighbour who loves dogs sees the dog defending itself against a menacing child. Neither eyewitness account is reliable due to confirmation bias.
Another example with social media, Social media has become a hotbed for fake information to spread. People tend to ‘share’ information or news articles that reinforce their existing beliefs. Often, catchy headlines are used to attract attention, offering unsubstantiated claims.
There are news articles that claim ‘facts’, yet are not ‘facts’, but biased perspectives that align with the reader’s own. In turn, the unverified claims that are not supported by the evidence are seen as ‘factual’, just because they align with existing beliefs.
In turn, such news is spread across platforms, gaining more and more traction as it confirms millions of people’s existing beliefs.
The Impact of Confirmation Biases
A number of experiments conducted during the 1960s demonstrated that people tend to seek information that confirms their beliefs. Unfortunately, this type of bias can prevent us from looking at situations objectively, can influence the decisions we make, and can lead to poor or faulty choices.
During an election season, for example, people tend to seek positive information that paints their favoured candidates in a good light while looking for information that casts the opposing candidate in a negative light. By not seeking out objective facts, interpreting information in a way that only supports their existing beliefs, and only remembering details that uphold these beliefs, people often miss important information that might have otherwise influenced their decision on which candidate to support. [4]
How to Avoid Confirmation Bias
Step on your ego | Learn to ask insightful questions | Examine conflicting data
The best way to avoid confirmation bias is to understand that we cannot know everything. In order to avoid confirmation bias, we must look at other points of view and listen to the other side of the argument. However, this must be done with an open mind. Do not rely on just one source of information to form opinions. Look at multiple sources of information. [5]
What is confirmation bias in user experience?
the cognitive error that occurs when people pursue or analyze information in a way that directly conforms with their existing beliefs or preconceptions. Confirmation bias will lead people to discard information that contradicts their existing beliefs, even if the information is factual. [6]
Tip: Cognition is defined as ‘the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
Here are some typical ways in which confirmation bias manifests:
- People tend to ignore information that challenges their existing beliefs. Often, this is because our egos get in the way of unbiased thinking. Ego can cloud our judgment, causing us to feel uncomfortable with the information that challenges our beliefs.
- People tend to seek information that confirms their existing beliefs. Not only is confirming information more comfortable to interpret but doing so helps us justify our beliefs and fuels our confidence in the subject.
- People exhibit this bias when they selectively gather or recall information or when they interpret it in a biased manner. This can look like hearing only one side of a news story or interpreting the story in a way that confirms prior beliefs.
How Does Confirmation Bias Impact UX Design?
In UX, confirmation bias can cloud judgement, impact the ability to empathize with users, lead to poorly designed research studies, and cause misinterpretation of feedback results.
User research is the most critical and foremost step in the UX design process. During this step, the UX designers identify users, meet with them, and understand their pain points that need to consider while designing the product for them.
Confirmation bias can be dangerous for user research and UX design. It can easily lead to incorrect decisions based on false assumptions and personal preferences and hence impact the overall products and business
What Is The Difference Between Cognitive Bias And Confirmation Bias?
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