The Mistake That Almost Half of Product Managers Make
Nobody knows better than product managers that user behavior is a fickle thing. Whatever kind of product it is that you’re building, it’s a given that users will behave in unexpected ways: they’ll fall prey to cognitive biases, contradict their own stated preferences, and so on. That’s why data and user testing are the bread and butter of product design.
But after countless engagements spent infusing behavioral insights into digital products, I’ve noticed that product managers themselves are just as prone to cognitive errors.
In fact, when TDL looked into this question recently, we found that four out of ten product managers make the same irrational choice about how to interpret user testing data.
What choice would that be? Read on…
References
- Cowles, M., & Davis, C. (1982). On the origins of the .05 level of statistical significance. American Psychologist, 37(5), 553-558. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066x.37.5.553
- Mussweiler, T., Strack, F., & Pfeiffer, T. (2000). Overcoming the Inevitable Anchoring Effect: Considering the Opposite Compensates for Selective Accessibility. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 26(9), 1142–1150. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672002611010
- Zenko, M. (2018, October 19). Leaders Can Make Really Dumb Decisions. This Exercise Can Fix That. Fortune. https://fortune.com/2018/10/19/red-teams-decision-making-leadership/amp/
About the Author
Turney McKee
Turney McKee is a Director at The Decision Lab. He holds a Masters of Science in Cellular Biology and Bachelors of Science in Pharmacology, both from McGill University. He is interested in international healthcare systems and public policy. Before joining The Decision Lab, Turney worked as a competitive and business intelligence analyst in the healthcare and technology sectors.
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