Being fully unbiased when conducting and observing interviews is impossible. Everyone has their own set of biases that they bring to every interaction.

Acknowledging your own personal biases so that you can move beyond them is key when conducting research

Remember, your goal as a UX designer is to put the user front-and-center always, which means you need to learn about their honest and authentic perspectives in order to best create designs that meet their needs.

Five common types of bias that might come up when conducting UX research

• Confirmation bias

  • is the tendency to focus on information that matches a pre-existing belief.
  • Solution:
    • Interviewing the right number of participants and gathering a variety of perspectives will help reduce confirmation bias.
    • It’s not about your beliefs

• Leading questions

  • are research questions that are intentionally framed to guide participants to respond in a certain way.
  • Solution:
    • Encourage participants to think aloud.
    • Limit your responses.

• Friendliness bias

  • describes the tendency of people to agree with those they like in order to maintain a non-confrontational conversation
  • Solution:
    • Honesty is the best policy, make it very clear to participants that they need to be honest and that their responses won’t hurt your feelings.
    • Stay consistently engaged. As a researcher, you should show curiosity and practice active listening in the same way throughout the entire interview, no matter how positive or negative the feedback that participants share.

• Social desirability bias

  • describes the tendency for people to answer questions in a way that will be viewed favorably by others.
  • Solution:
    • Conduct 1:1 interviews. Social desirability bias is more likely to occur in group settings, where a participant might respond in a way that they think will be viewed favorably by other research participants.
    • Ensure confidentiality. Before beginning a research study, remind participants that their perspectives about the product will be kept confidential. For example, it can put people’s minds at ease to know that their name will not be published or their negative feedback will not become public.

• Hawthorne effect

  • describes how people tend to act differently when they know they’re being watched.
  • Solution:
    • Create a non-threatening environment. Let participants know that there are no right or wrong answers, and allow them time to feel comfortable in the research environment before diving into interview questions.
    • Establish rapport. It’s easier for participants to share their honest opinions when they feel at ease with the interviewer. Use the participant's name throughout the conversation to make the experience feel more personal, and make small talk before the research study begins.