Overcoming Cognitive Bias in Design and Life

“The tourist sees what he wants to see, the traveler sees what he sees.” 
— G.K. Chesterton

Our brains are wired to take shortcuts. These shortcuts help us make quick decisions, but they can also distort reality—both in digital design and in everyday life. Cognitive biases affect how we interpret the world, making us miss important details or jump to conclusions too fast.

Confirmation Bias: Seeing What We Expect

“We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
— Anaïs Nin, The Seduction of the Minotaur (1961)

Have you ever used a website, application, or operating system that seemed confusing at first but, once you figured it out, it felt easy? Most of us forget about that transition as we get used to the design of an experience. The worst part is that, once we feel instinctively familiar with an experience, we naturally assume it is easy for everyone. We call that tendency “confirmation bias.

In life, this happens constantly. When we expect someone to be rude, we instigate their rudeness with our choices of words and body language. We interpret their neutral tone as hostile. When we assume we’re bad at something, we ignore any progress we make. To break this bias, we have to actively seek out alternative perspectives. This applies to design and to life.

First Impressions Stick (The Anchoring Effect)

“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
— Isaac Asimov, The Roving Mind (1983)

Studies show that the first price we see for an item influences what we think is a “reasonable” cost,  even if it has nothing to do with actual value. This happens in design, too. Users form an impression of a website within seconds, and that impression colors everything that follows.

In life, the same principle applies. A first impression of someone can stick, even if it’s inaccurate. The first story we hear about an event becomes our reference point, even if new facts come out later. Being aware of anchoring helps us pause and reassess, rather than clinging to the first thing we saw or heard.

The Most Recent Thing Feels the Most True (Availability Bias)

“We are prone to overestimate how much we understand about the world.”
— Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (2011)

When a website has a bug, studies show that users often assume that the whole product is unreliable, even if most experiences were smooth. Similarly, when we hear about a plane crash on the news, we overestimate the likelihood of crashes, even though flying is statistically safer than driving.

In daily life, we give more weight to recent experiences, even when they don’t represent the full picture. Like when we’ve had a few bad days at work and might start thinking our whole job is terrible. 

Seeing More Clearly

“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.”
— Marcel Proust, In Search of Lost Time (1913)

In both digital design and real life, biases shape our perceptions more than we realize. The key to overcoming them isn’t to eliminate them (we can’t), but to slow down, question our assumptions, and make room for alternative viewpoints. Zoom out and take a broader look at patterns rather than getting stuck in recent data.

Our goal, whether designing a product or making everyday life decisions, is to see more clearly, think more flexibly, and create experiences that truly serve people online and offline.