Why people’s actions don’t match their words

(And what to do about it)

In the world of user experience design, we receive a lot of data on what people do and say.

Within the realm of doing, this is usually quantitative (AKA numbers). For instance, we know that 60% of users click on a button, 10,000 users purchased sneakers last week, or that users spend 2–3 minutes on a certain page etc.

Within the ream of saying, this is usually qualitative (AKA words). For instance, users say they don’t click a button because they can’t see it, or users saying that a certain feature in your app would be amazing.

In an ideal world, these pieces of data would compliment each other nicely. What we find in design (and life), however, is that this often isn’t the case.

Think of a time when someone asked you about your regular behaviours— how much alcohol do you really drink per week? How often do you really buy books on Amazon, instead of local shops?

While you may aspire to be virtually sober, or never use Amazon at all, your reality is likely different.

So, does this mean that we’re all dishonest? Is the only valid type of data number-related?

Not quite…

In the world of design, we look at both types of feedback and weigh them equally. While numbers seem straight-forward, they can just as likely take us down an inaccurate path as words can.

While humans tend to share their ideal selves when it comes to generalizing about their experience, there are a few things we can do to prevent this.

1. Don’t ask leading questions to yourself (or others); people won’t give you honest feedback if you ask questions like ‘don’t you think this dress is cute?’ Instead, ask a more helpful question like — ‘what do you like about this dress? What do you dislike about this dress? (If anything)?’
2. Look at multiple numerical data points; if you are trying to improve your health, thinking only about numbers on the scale likely won’t help. Often, you can gain muscle and actually gain weight, but still be getting ‘healthier’ for instance.
3. Reflect in the moment; journal in the moment when you’re doing certain things, and challenge the initial reasons you give as to why you behave in certain ways. Are you really drinking too much just because you’re ‘just being more social’ or is it something deeper?

This week…

I challenge you to think about an area of your life where you’re keen to better understand your own behaviour. Are you look at only one datapoint? Are you getting honest feedback? Do you reflect while you’re doing the behaviour in context?

Let’s continue the conversation over on LinkedIn 👋