Controlling Bias for Better Decision-Making

Get to know the actors of our brain

We are faced with hundreds of choices to decide every day. We choose what we want to eat for lunch, what book to read, what series to watch on Netflix and so many other things. The process of making these decisions is the same for most of us: we come up with a set of options and try to select one option that we might find best. While we might think that our preferences alone make our choices, in fact, every time we make decisions, there’s a process that’s happening in our brain.

Daniel Kahneman is a psychologist who is notable for his work on the psychology of judgment and decision-making. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, he defines this thought process into a drama in our brain that is played by two roles, System 1 and System 2. While System 1 is the automated system, System 2 is the manual one.

The Actors of Our Brain

As product designers, we can imagine System 1 as someone who creates a quick, superficial prototype based on what he knows and thinks it should be. It is about intuition and instincts, is automated, and demands less energy. System 1 makes decisions based on experiences and biases; he just does it without much thinking.

And then, there’s System 2, someone who is lazy and most of the time just takes the other person’s prototype to use it as MVP. Only then can he look deeper into it, criticize, make improvements, and craft it better. It is about rational thinking. System 2 makes decisions based on conscious thought; it is slow, thoughtful, and effortful.

In performing regular activities like washing the dishes or watering the plant, we do not think and do it based on our intuition and instincts. It’s because we already know how to do it and perform it in autopilot mode. It will be different if we are talking about fixing a broken faucet for someone who hasn’t done it before. It will require some thinking to figure out how. In this case, System 2 will take control. In short, this is how these systems work.

Most of the time, humans are controlled unconsciously by their System 1. By letting it be, it’ll lead us to what we call cognitive bias. We’ll make default decisions; we’ll be prone to be led by prejudices. In some cases, when there’s a situation System 1 can’t understand, it will call System 2 to work on the problem.

For better decision-making, we need to practice our System 1 and 2 thinking awareness and apply it to everyday situations. Be aware when System 1 is taking control of your thoughts, and instead of being controlled by biases, we should be the ones who control it.

Taking Control

Because System 1 is uncontrollable, cognitive biases won’t go away. But if we can control the bias instead of avoiding it, it can be our advantage.

In my experience as a product designer, here are a few ways I’ve found useful to control biases in decision-making:

1. Don’t make decisions under time pressure

We are most prone to bias when we make decisions in haste. When making decisions, relax, and take time to decide. In that way, we can think more deeply, look through a different perspective, and seek more data. Before jumping into answers, make sure to do enough research beforehand and don’t let your System 1 take the lead.

Personally, I found myself make better decisions when I don’t instantly decide on something. When I was asked about a particular design decision I need to make, such as determining which user flow will give a better experience, I would rather ask the other person to give me some time to think first and get back to them later.

As much as possible, when you are not sure about something, ask for more time to think.

2. Challenge your own argument

Now that you got that extra time in your hands, time to use it wisely. We should sharpen our decision by trying to look from another perspective than our initial one.

There’s a type of bias called confirmation bias. It is a tendency to search or recall information to confirm one’s prior beliefs. To break this bias, instead of trying to prove it, we should try to argue it. Challenge yourself more by looking for data or information that might argue your initial argument.

Let’s say you’re deciding on the color of a button. You believe that it should be green because it represents the color of your company branding. But instead of searching for justification, why not search for the possibilities that it might not be the only answer? While it doesn’t always affect your final decision, in that way, you’ll learn that there are actually other things that we can consider before making the decision.

3. Turn things in your head, literally

When you are asked to draw a bottle, by default, we will draw it based on the perception we have in our mind on how it should look like. Sometimes, our drawing doesn’t turn out as we expected it to be. Next, take a bottle and turn it upside down. Well, now you’ll most probably draw what you actually see, simply because you don’t have a mental representation of how an upside-down bottle should look like. We were on autopilot when we first draw the bottle. But by turning it upside down, now our brain is forced to leave its comfort zone and think consciously, letting our System 2 take control.

It is good to trust our instincts, but when talking about decision-making, we shall not be led by instincts only. Take a sample from the real world. If our instincts tell us that a toaster would be enough to inform a successful state, would our users think so too? We need to do some research first.

4. Considering alternatives

After rethinking your own thoughts, do not be satisfied quickly. Keep considering other possibilities and frequently ask yourself: what else could it be?

We could ask for feedback or thoughts from other people on what they might think about our design. If we have some time, we could test it directly to our users through Usability Testing or in-depth interviews. While we might be fixated on one thing, fresh eyes and ears can discover new things that we didn’t think of before. Unlocking new ideas can broaden our perspective even more.

5. Practice repeatedly

If we have learned how to take more time to reassure and how to reassure our decision, another way is by repeatedly practicing and doing the same task. In that way, that one task will become familiar to our brain, enter our System 1 thinking, and become a part of our autopilot mode.

We can take learning to drive as an example. The first time we learn to drive, obviously, it uses our System 2. We need focus, thoughtful and effortful thinking to make sure we do it in the right way. As you repeatedly drive, it will become familiar and gradually uses our System 1 thinking. After years of driving, you won’t need so much focus and effort anymore.

As product designers, that applies to us too. The more we practice and broaden our knowledge, things that once might be difficult and hard to decide will become easier. Take UI or UX patterns as an example. As we learn and exercise it in our work, we’ll get to know and become used to more cases. The next time you find similar cases, your System 1 will recall what they’ve already learned before and makes it less effortful.

Takeaways

When faced with making decisions, often, we trust our instincts and make decisions instantly. We rarely stop, take time, and rethink if it is the best decision that we could make.

Being aware of the actors in our brain, System 1 and System 2, challenges us to deep dive into our thoughts. Notice when you let yourself on autopilot and know when you shall not be. It might tell us how we actually behave vs. how we should behave in certain situations.

While it is not a mistake to be on autopilot every time, but by being not, you’ll learn much more.