Why We Get Things Wrong: 26 Biases That Impact Your Thinking in Research and Design

We like to believe we make rational decisions, but the truth is, our minds take shortcuts. These mental shortcuts (known as biases), help us process information quickly, but they also lead to mistakes.

For decades, psychologists have studied these patterns, revealing why we misjudge risks, remember things incorrectly, and make decisions that don’t always serve us. Some of the most influential figures in this field include Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, whose work shaped modern behavioural economics, and Elizabeth Loftus, who uncovered how unreliable our memories can be.

Here are 26 of the most common biases, the researchers behind them, and how they influence our daily lives.

1. Cognitive Biases – When Thinking Goes Wrong

These biases stem from the way our brains process information. They often lead to misinterpretations, overconfidence, or faulty reasoning.

Key researchers: Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky, pioneers in the study of heuristics and biases.

1. Confirmation Bias – We seek out information that supports what we already believe and ignore what contradicts it. This makes us more certain, but not necessarily more correct.

2. Anchoring Bias – Our decisions are heavily influenced by the first piece of information we see, even if it’s irrelevant. A high starting price makes a discounted product seem like a bargain.

3. Availability Heuristic – We judge how common something is based on how easily we can recall examples. This is why people fear plane crashes more than car accidents.

4. Hindsight Bias – After something happens, we convince ourselves we "knew it all along." This makes us overestimate our ability to predict future events.

5. Optimism Bias – We tend to believe bad things are less likely to happen to us than to others. This explains why people often fail to save for emergencies.

6. Framing Effect – The way information is presented changes how we interpret it. A yoghurt labelled "90% fat-free" sounds healthier than one that contains "10% fat."

7. Dunning-Kruger Effect – People with low expertise overestimate their abilities, while experts often underestimate theirs. This is why beginners sometimes seem more confident than professionals.

8. Survivorship Bias – We focus on success stories and ignore failures, making things seem easier than they really are. Entrepreneurs hear about thriving start-ups, but not the thousands that fail.

2. Social Biases – How Others Influence Us

Humans are social creatures. These biases show how peer pressure, authority, and group identity affect our thinking.

Key researchers: Solomon Asch (conformity), Stanley Milgram (obedience to authority), Henri Tajfel (group identity).

1. Halo Effect – A single positive trait—like attractiveness or confidence—makes us assume someone is good at everything else too.

2. Ingroup Bias – We favour people who belong to our group and are suspicious of outsiders. This fuels everything from sports rivalries to political divisions.

3. Authority Bias – We give too much weight to the opinions of authority figures, even when they’re wrong. A doctor’s advice carries influence, even if it’s outside their area of expertise.

4. Bandwagon Effect – If enough people believe something, we tend to believe it too. This drives trends, viral content, and stock market bubbles.

5. False Consensus Effect – We assume more people share our opinions and behaviours than actually do. This can make us overconfident in our views.

3. Emotional Biases – When Feelings Get in the Way

These biases arise when emotions override logic, leading us to make decisions based on fear, attachment, or comfort.

Key researchers: Antonio Damasio (role of emotions in decision-making), Daniel Kahneman (loss aversion).

1. Loss Aversion – Losing something feels much worse than gaining the same thing. People are more upset about losing £10 than happy about winning £10.

2. Endowment Effect – We place more value on things we own, simply because they are ours. This explains why people struggle to part with clutter.

3. Status Quo Bias – We prefer things to stay the same, even if change would be beneficial. This makes switching banks, phone plans, or habits harder than it should be.

4. Negativity Bias – Bad experiences affect us more than good ones. A single rude comment online can outweigh dozens of compliments.

5. Sunk Cost Fallacy – We persist with things, continue watching bad films, failing projects, unhappy relationships, just because we’ve already invested time or money.

4. Memory Biases – The Faulty Recorder in Our Heads

Our memories aren’t as reliable as we think. These biases explain why we misremember events, exaggerate details, or recall things that never happened.

Key researchers: Elizabeth Loftus (false memories), Hermann Ebbinghaus (how we forget over time).

1. Recency Effect – We remember the most recent events better than older ones. This is why the last speaker in a debate often has an advantage.

2. Primacy Effect – The first thing we hear sticks with us. In a list of names, we’re more likely to recall the first few than the ones in the middle.

3. Self-Serving Bias – We take credit for our successes but blame external factors for our failures. A student might attribute a good grade to hard work but a bad grade to an unfair test.

4. Mood-Congruent Memory – Our current mood affects what we remember. When we’re sad, we recall sad memories more easily, reinforcing our emotions.

5. Rosy Retrospection – We remember the past as better than it really was. Holidays, childhood, and "the good old days" often seem more wonderful in hindsight than they actually were.

5. Decision-Making Biases – Why We Choose Badly

When faced with uncertainty, we don’t always make rational choices. These biases affect risk assessment, impulse control, and long-term planning.

Key researchers: Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky (Prospect Theory), Richard Thaler (behavioural economics).

1. Gambler’s Fallacy – We believe past random events affect future outcomes. After five heads in a row, we think tails is "due," even though each coin flip is independent.

2. Hyperbolic Discounting – We prefer small rewards now over bigger rewards later. This is why saving for the future is so difficult.

3. IKEA Effect – We overvalue things we put effort into, even if they’re no better than ready-made alternatives. If we build a wobbly bookshelf ourselves, we’re still proud of it.

Its impact on your work

Biases shape everything from consumer choices to political decisions. They explain why we fall for sales tricks, why we misjudge risks, and why we struggle to make rational choices. Understanding them doesn’t make us immune, but it does help us spot when our thinking might be leading us astray.

And next time you find yourself holding onto a bad idea, following the crowd, or looking back at the past through rose-tinted glasses, don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s just your brain doing what it’s designed to do.

How to Overcome Biases in Research and Design - The exciting part!

Understanding cognitive biases is one thing. Designing better products, services, and experiences despite them is another. For UX researchers, designers, and entrepreneurs, these biases can creep into every stage of product development, from how we interpret user feedback to the way we structure experiments.

So how do we overcome these biases? The key is awareness, structured decision-making, and bias-proofing your process. Here’s how:

1. Recognise Bias in User Research

Even with the best intentions, research can be influenced by cognitive biases—from the way questions are phrased to how feedback is interpreted. Here’s how to keep research objective:

Avoid Confirmation Bias – Go in with an open mind. Instead of looking for evidence that supports your assumptions, deliberately seek out conflicting opinions and edge cases.

Neutralise the Framing Effect – Wording matters. Instead of asking, "Do you find this feature helpful?", ask, "How would you describe your experience with this feature?"

Reduce the Hawthorne Effect – Users behave differently when they know they’re being observed. Where possible, use passive observation, analytics, and unmoderated testing to get more natural insights.

Beware of Survivorship Bias – Just because successful users love your product doesn’t mean everyone does. Make sure you’re also learning from those who dropped off or never engaged.

Best Practice: Use mixed methods. Combine qualitative (interviews, observations) and quantitative (A/B testing, surveys) approaches to counteract individual biases in any one method.

2. Make Better Design Decisions

Designers often rely on intuition, but bias can distort intuition. Here’s how to design with more objectivity:

Challenge the Halo Effect – Don’t assume users will love every aspect of your product just because they like one feature. Test features in isolation to get realistic feedback.

Account for the Status Quo Bias – Users resist change. If redesigning a product, introduce gradual changes or offer a way to “switch back” temporarily to ease the transition.

Design for Loss Aversion – Users fear losing something more than they value gaining something new. Highlight how not using your product creates a loss (e.g., "Without this tool, you’ll waste 10 hours a week on admin tasks.").

Minimise Hyperbolic Discounting – If your product offers long-term benefits, use reminders, gamification, or immediate rewards to keep users engaged. Example: fitness apps use streaks and short-term goals to keep users exercising.

Best Practice: Prototype early, iterate often. Use rapid prototyping and frequent user feedback to prevent biases from becoming baked into the final product.

3. Improve Business and Strategy Decisions

For entrepreneurs and product leaders, bias affects how teams make decisions—from product-market fit to investment choices. Here’s how to bias-proof your strategy:

Avoid the IKEA Effect in Decision-Making – Just because your team worked hard on an idea doesn’t mean it’s the right one. Regularly seek outside perspectives to challenge internal thinking.

Guard Against the Sunk Cost Fallacy – If a feature, product, or business direction isn’t working, don’t let past investment trap you. Set clear kill criteria upfront—for example, “If retention doesn’t improve by X% in six months, we pivot.”

Mitigate the Bandwagon Effect – Trends can be tempting, but not every popular strategy is right for your audience. Test user demand before committing to the next AI chatbot, VR interface, or social commerce trend.

Minimise Authority Bias in Decision-Making – Just because a senior leader has an opinion doesn’t mean it’s right. Use structured decision-making processes, like anonymous voting or red-team exercises, to challenge ideas fairly.

Best Practice: Run pre-mortems. Instead of only looking at past failures, ask “If this strategy fails, what will have caused it?” This forces teams to identify hidden biases before they cause real damage.

4. Help Users Overcome Their Own Biases

Bias doesn’t just affect designers and entrepreneurs—it affects users too. Good design helps people make better decisions without trickery or manipulation.

Combat Rosy Retrospection – People remember past experiences as better than they were. If redesigning a product, show a side-by-side comparison so users don’t rely on idealised memories.

Reduce Decision Fatigue – When users face too many choices, they often default to the easiest option (status quo bias). Simplify decision-making by using progressive disclosure and smart defaults.

Leverage the Primacy Effect Ethically – People remember the first thing they see. Ensure the most important information or action is clear from the start (e.g., key benefits in onboarding).

Use Nudges for Good – People resist taking action, even when they know it’s beneficial. Make the default option the best one (e.g., auto-enrolling users in security settings rather than requiring them to opt in).

Best Practice: Test real-world behaviour, not just intent. Users say one thing in interviews but do another in reality. A/B testing and behavioural analytics give a more accurate picture.

Key Takeaways: How to Keep Bias Out of Your Work

✔ Question your own assumptions – If something seems obvious, ask: “What would prove me wrong?”

✔ Use structured research methods – Triangulate data, mix qualitative and quantitative insights, and avoid leading questions.

✔ Test, iterate, and learn – Make decisions based on real behaviour, not just opinions or instincts.

✔ Challenge team biases – Encourage a culture of constructive disagreement to avoid groupthink.

✔ Design for real users, not idealised ones – People don’t behave rationally, so create products that work with human nature, not against it.

Bias will never fully disappear—but by recognising it and designing with it in mind, you can make better products, better services, and better decisions. - Good luck! And if you ever want to upgrade your research and design skills and stand out in the AI world by having one of the most valued skills in the marketplace, then check out our courses in consumer psychology and behaviour design.

Ready to level up your skills? If you want to go beyond guesswork and master the frameworks to decode users and design for behaviour change, check out our courses and masterclasses at www.whatdrivesthem.com.