Human Biases: A Practical Guide For Designers

In our fast-paced, information-laden world, time and attention are scarce. People often make decisions and experience reactions almost automatically, using mental shortcuts. These shortcuts are just the brain’s way of processing information more efficiently. They help people get through life without feeling overwhelmed by the constant barrage of information they encounter.

Unfortunately, in its efforts to reduce cognitive load, the human brain may default to certain patterns or exclude key information. This manifests in the form of cognitive biases. These biases are intrinsically human—product designers and product users alike are subject to the influence of various biases. While one person’s biases may be shaped by their life experiences and differ from another’s, there are also universal biases at play when human beings are faced with decisions.

If you’re a designer who creates products or services where users need to make choices and take actions, it is extremely important to be aware of these universal human biases. This awareness will help you recognize when your own biases are at play in the design process. Secondly, it will help you empathize deeply with your users and account for biases that can affect how they use your product.

In this Master Class webinar, Susan and Guthrie Weinschenk will show you:

• What a human bias is
• Common biases such as ownership bias, sunk cost bias, familiarity bias, and many more
• How biases affect decisions
• How biases affect the products you design

When you understand human biases better, it will help you improve your research and design processes in unprecedented ways. If you’ve been looking for a way to dive into this topic or update your knowledge, this Master Class webinar is the perfect way to do so. Even if you cannot attend it live, register to get a recording you can watch anytime afterwards!