Bias by Design

In life, we are regularly presented with situations where we need to make decisions and we have imperfect information or do not have all the information needed to make an informed decision – we unknowingly rely on our unconscious bias to help make these decisions. Some companies take advantage of these biases to help sell their products and services.

Paul Wade is Design Manager with Urban Design Studio, a branding, design, interior, and print studio based in Cork. Paul has over 10 years experience in the design world and has worked with startups and internationals alike. Paul holds a degree in Visual Communication, a Masters in Digital Marketing Strategy and Diplomas in User Experience Design, Interaction Design and Psychology.
According to the Cognitive Bias Codex there are an estimated 180 biases. Some of the cognitive biases are good, they are like mental shortcuts for making quick decisions, whereas some are really bad and many companies use these biases to their advantage, nudging customers in the direction they want them to go.

From clever wordplay to misdirection, in this talk we will look at commonly used cognitive biases that companies use to help sway your decision making in their favour.
During this talk, Paul will cover:

• What is cognitive bias
• Commonly used biases
• Examples of how companies use bias
• How to spot bias in design