Industry 2014
timoni west
@TIMONI
You May Be Right
Cognitive bias
+ product design
WHICH FEATURES
HOW DO THEY FEEL
WHAT IS THE SCOPE
HOW DO THEY WORK
IN WHAT ORDER
WHO BUILDS THEM
WHEN DO THEY SHIP
Prefrontal cortex
LIMBIc SYSTEM
(Not rational)
LIZARD STUFF
(REALLY noT)
ONE
IMPORTANT
POINT
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Confirmation Bias
You are so wrong I’m not even going
to listen to you anymore.
There are more
American Indians alive
today than there were
when Columbus
arrived… Does this
sound like a record of
genocide?
Confirmation
Bias
How to avoid
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
if you don’t agree with
something, learn more
about it. Don’t ignore it.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Cognitive Dissonance
I had a good reason for doing that.
Let me figure out what it was.
It was a dubious compromise
Someone got confused and implemented the wrong thing
Somebody argued
until we gave in
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
It’s hard to remember
exactly why you decide
to do something.
Take good notes.
Choice Support
Bias
CONFIRMATION +
DISSONANCE =
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Halo Effect
I like you.
I bet you’re really smart, too.
Clever! Hardworking!
Funny!
Angry!
Aggressive!
ANONYMOUS IDEA SUBMISSIONS
PRESENT DATA TWO WAYS
PRESENT SOMEONE ELSE’S IDEA
WRITE OPINIONS IN ADVANCE
FORGET THE SOURCE
REPLACE THE SOURCE
I am the best
coworker ever
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
You are constantly
influenced by not only
what you hear and see, but
the order in which you see it,
and the way it’s presented.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Observational
What’s the deal with this song? Why
do I keep hearing it so much lately?
The definition of
insanity is doing the
same thing over and
over and expecting
different results.
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Things that seem
familiar also seem more
dependable, whether
they are or not.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Social Proof
I’m going along with this because you
guys already thought it through
...right?
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
it’s always worth
asking why things are
done a certain way if
they seem odd or
confusing.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Negativity Bias
seriously, if you can’t say something
nice, don’t say anything at all.
He that has
once done you a
kindness will
be more ready
to do you
another, than
he whom you
yourself have
obliged.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Cognitive Dissonance
I had a good reason for doing that.
Let me figure out what it was.
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Negativity bias means we
react to negative things
sometimes more strongly
than we should. There are
ways to fix the fallout.
the bias
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
Bias Blind Spot
Yes, you too.
REMEMBER:
TIMONI WEST INDUSTRY 2014
We’re all in
this together.
THANK YOU!

IndustryConf 2014: You May Be Right