The document is a presentation on understanding and managing biases that can influence UX work. It discusses how to have productive discussions about biases, tools for identifying biases, and how to manage biases and bring awareness into design practice. It provides an approachable definition of bias, discusses how biases are mental shortcuts and not inherently bad. It explores how biases can emerge in research, design, and provides suggestions for controlling biases in work such as integrating detection tools into processes and establishing a culture of questioning.

1. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 1
Know thyself and to thine users be true:
Understanding and managing biases that can
influence UX work
Karen Bachmann
karen@designforcontext.com
™ @karenbachmann
UXPA 2018
Puerto Rico
#UXPA18

2. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● How to have non-threatening and productive discussions
● Tools for identifying our biases
● Tools to manage biases
● Bringing our new awareness into our design practice
What we will discuss
2

3. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Awareness, ourselves and our colleagues
Exposure to other perspectives
Connection with our own humanity
What do we need most

4. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 4
“When you know better,
you do better.”
- Betty Easterly

5. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 5
An approachable definition of bias
● How should we talk about biases to ensure a non-
threatening and productive discussion?
A LITTLE BACKGROUND

6. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 6
No longer a mystery “why” it matters

7. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Bias: A Mental Shortcut
7
● Part of being
human
● Kahneman’s
System 1
● Not inherently
bad, may be
misapplied
● Implicit = invisible
● Not necessarily in
sync with our
conscious beliefs
● Can be managed
and changed

8. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
SO MANY BIASES!
8

9. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Do you see what I see?
9
How do you describe this
… without any presuppositions?
Objectivity is more elusive than we
want – or like – to admit to ourselves.
Image: https://www.flickr.com/photos/horiavarlan/4273846588/

10. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Addressing bias is not uniquely a UX challenge
10
Healthcare
Business Government
Law enforcement
Safety
Data science
Technology
Journalism
Entertainment
UX Research & Design
Science

11. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 11
Building awareness and knowing ourselves
● How can we best identify the biases within ourselves and our
teams?
● What tools and processes to control for bias we can
introduce into our processes?
● Where do biases emerge in our work?
KNOWING OURSELVES

12. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Start with understanding your own bias
Don’t fall into the illusion of complete
objectivity
Don’t be afraid to acknowledge bias
Know thyself

13. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● Provide the tools for mindfulness and self-awareness as well as
building team awareness
● Acknowledge your own biases and be open to learning more
● Establish clear goals to understand biases and why it matters to the
team and to your work
● Establish communication ground rules
● Use the ability to see the biases of others with empathy and
compassion
Discussions with the team
13

14. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
12 steps from #uxchat
● Encourage diversity
● Step back from your ego
● Always be talking to others
● Self-examination
● Beware of “groupthink”
● Uncover biases as early as
possible
● Bring in a moderator
● Be transparent
● Be inclusive
● Focus on the data
● Encourage safe spaces and secure
channels
● Have empathy, always
14
http://whatusersdo.com/blog/how-to-fight-bias-in-your-organisation-or-team/ (now part of UserZoom)

15. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Detection Tools
● Changing decision making
approach
● Pre-mortems
● Worst case scenario
● Multiple estimations -> designs
● Seek outside view
● Implicit Association Test
● Flip it to test it
● Invite examination and input from
people who are not like “us”
● Appoint a Devil’s Diversity
Advocate
● Slow down and reflect
15

16. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 16
MY IAT results on disability

17. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● What's your default mode for judgments and decisions? To find out,
take this (very short) cognitive-reflection test, which was created by
Shane Frederick at Yale and originally appeared in The Journal of
Economic Perspectives. At the end, you’ll receive feedback on your
answers and gain insight into how you arrived at them.
● A bat and a ball cost $1.10 in total. The bat costs $1.00 more than the ball.
How much does the ball cost?
● If it takes five machines five minutes to make five widgets, how many
minutes would it take 100 machines to make 100 widgets?
● In a lake, there is a patch of lily pads. Every day, the patch doubles in size.
If it takes 48 days for the patch to cover the entire lake, how many days
would it take for the patch to cover half the lake?
Are you being tricked by intuition?
17
https://hbr.org/2015/04/test-yourself-are-you-being-tricked-by-intuition

18. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
WHICH BIASES SHOULD WE LOOK FOR FIRST?
18
Confirmation bias
Anchoring
Implicit bias
Ingroup/Outgroup
Pro-Innovation
Recency effect
Overconfidence
Backfire effect

19. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 19
Biases can emerge anywhere
Research
● Recruiting
● Questions we ask
● Specific data we collect
● Conclusions and priority
Design
● Target markets
● Types of interactions
● Visual design selections
● Technology selection

20. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 20
Controlling our biases in our work
● How do we monitor for regressing thinking and new biases
throughout the design process?
MINDFULNESS & MANAGEMENT

21. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Mindfulness is a journey,
not a destination

22. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● Make the detection tools part of the design process – not once and
done
● Define goals and checks around identified biases
● Set objectives, check objectives
● Trip wires
● Watch for emergent “excuses” for regressing to System 1 thinking
Integrating the tools for awareness
22

23. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● Establish a culture of questioning
● Listen for discord and regression
● Bias buddies
● Use technological aids where possible
● Communicate shared understanding continuously
● Be kind to each other
Enabling communication
23

24. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Awareness, ourselves and our colleagues
Exposure to other perspectives
Connection with our own humanity
What do we need most

25. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Cited resources
These resources were directly incorporated in the presentation.
● B. Benson. “Cognitive bias cheat sheet.” (2016): https://betterhumans.coach.me/cognitive-bias-cheat-sheet-55a472476b18
● J. Beshears, S. Frederick, and F. Gino “Test Yourself: Are You Being Tricked by Intuition?” Harvard Business Review. (2015):
https://hbr.org/2015/04/test-yourself-are-you-being-tricked-by-intuition
● T. Bradberry. “13 Cognitive Biases That Really Screw Things Up For You.” (2018): https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/13-cognitive-biases-
really-screw-things-up-you-dr-travis-bradberry/
● M. Funchess. “Implicit Bias -- how it effects us and how we push through.” TEDxFlourCity. (2014):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fr8G7MtRNlk
● E. Hall. “The 9 Rules of Design Research.” (2018): https://medium.com/mule-design/the-9-rules-of-design-research-1a273fdd1d3b
● H.G. Halvorson. “How To Recognize (And Overcome) Your Unconscious Biases In Hiring.” Fast Company. (2015):
https://www.fastcompany.com/3043074/how-to-thwart-your-unconscious-biases-when-hiring-a-diverse-team
● S. Judd. “Superfan.” (2018): http://www.sachajudd.com/superfan
● D. Kahneman. Thinking, Fast and Slow. (2011)
● T. Keereepart. “3 design principles to help us overcome everyday bias.” TEDxPortland. (2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6dstCUWsFY
● S. Lawrence-Lightfoot and J. Hoffmann Davis. The Art and Science of Portraiture. (1997):
http://www.saralawrencelightfoot.com/portraiture1.html
● A.C. Madrigal. “Disposable America.” The Atlantic. (2018): https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/06/disposable-
america/563204/
25

26. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
Cited resources (cont’d)
● P. McIntosh. "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack" Peace and Freedom Magazine. (1989):
https://nationalseedproject.org/white-privilege-unpacking-the-invisible-knapsack
● K. Pressner. ”Are you biased? I am.” TEDxBasel. (2016): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bq_xYSOZrgU
● Project Implicit. (2011): https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/index.jsp
● C. Ratcliff. “12 ways to fight bias in your team” Synopsys of #uxchat on Twitter, hosted by K. Bachmann. (2018):
http://whatusersdo.com/blog/how-to-fight-bias-in-your-organisation-or-team/
● S.E. Smith. “Why philosophy is so important in science education.” Quartz. (2017): https://qz.com/1132948/why-philosophy-is-so-
important-in-science-education/ (Inspiration for the “Do you see” exercise on Slide 9)
● J.B. Soll, K.L. Milkman, and J.W. Payne. “Outsmart your own biases.” Harvard Business Review. (2015):
https://hbr.org/2015/05/outsmart-your-own-biases
● S. Watcher-Boettcher. Technically Wrong: Sexist Apps, Biased Algorithms, and Other Threats of Toxic Tech. (2017):
http://www.sarawb.com/technically-wrong/
26

27. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
These resources were not quoted or directly use for my presentation, but present ideas and examples that influenced my thinking and
offer valuable, interesting insights.
● American Alliance of Museums. “Unconscious Bias and Personal Work.” (2018): https://www.aam-us.org/programs/diversity-equity-
accessibility-and-inclusion/facing-change-unconscious-bias-and-personal-work/
● @BienSur_JeTaime. “One of the reasons for more ethnic diversity in tech. Devices can't be biased, but if the creators don't account for
their own biases it shows up in things like Asian women being indistinguishable to iPhones and black hands not triggering sensors in
soap machines.” (2017): https://twitter.com/BienSur_JeTaime/status/941866665746235397
● S. Bradley. “All the creepy, crazy and amazing things that happened in AI in 2017.” Wired. (2017):
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-happened-in-ai-in-2017
● G.L. Ciampaglia and F. Menczer. “Misinformation and biases infect social media, both intentionally and accidentally.” The
Conversation. (2018): http://theconversation.com/misinformation-and-biases-infect-social-media-both-intentionally-and-accidentally-
97148
● J. Clark. “Design in the Era of the Algorithm.” Presentation at Mind the Product, synopsis by J. Gadsby Peet. (2017):
https://www.mindtheproduct.com/2017/11/product-design-era-algorithm-josh-clark/
● D. Chopra. “Does the Human Mind Need a Fresh Start?” (2017): https://www.choprafoundation.org/science-consciousness/does-the-
human-mind-need-a-fresh-start/
● R. Courtland. “Bias detectives: the researchers striving to make algorithms fair.” Nature. (2018):
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05469-3
● D. Gray. Liminal Thinking: Create the change you want by changing the way you think. (2016): http://liminalthinking.com/
Additional resources
27

28. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● M. Hartmann. “Unpacking the biases that shape our beliefs.” TEDxStJohns. (2015):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU7Mhne4CzU
● N.A. Heflick. “We Are Blind to Our Own Biases.” Psychology Today. (2011): https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-
questions/201102/we-are-blind-our-own-biases
● D. Hernandez. “Unpacking and Transforming Your Biases For A Better Community.” TEDxSanAntonio. (2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU4CDFFy77g
● D. Hockett. “We all have implicit biases. So what can we do about it?” TEDxMidAtlanticSalon. (2017):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKHSJHkPeLY
● C. Jager. “24 Cognitive Biases You Need To Stop Making [Infographic]” Lifehacker. (2018):
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/03/find-out-which-cognitive-biases-alter-your-perspective/
● T. Laurinavicius. “Cognitive Biases You Need to Master to Design Better Websites.” (2018):
https://webdesign.tutsplus.com/articles/cognitive-biases-you-need-to-master-to-design-better-websites--cms-30742
● J. Lindzon. “This Brain Hack Will Help Reframe Your Interpretation Of Reality.” Fast Company. (2017):
https://www.fastcompany.com/40500514/this-brain-hack-will-help-reframe-your-interpretation-of-reality
● E. Livni. “The philosophy that could have stopped Silicon Valley’s crisis of conscience before it started.” Quartz. (2017):
https://qz.com/1161704/silicon-valley-elite-from-companies-like-facebook-and-google-are-soothing-their-consciences-at-californias-
esalen-institute/
● Microsoft. “Keeping an Eye on AI with Dr. Kate Crawford.” Microsoft Research Podcast. (2018): https://www.microsoft.com/en-
us/research/blog/keeping-an-eye-on-ai-with-dr-kate-crawford/?OCID=msr_podcast_kcrawford_tw
Additional resources (cont’d)
28

29. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018
● Mind Tools. “Avoiding Psychological Bias in Decision Making: How to Make Objective Decisions.” (2018):
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/avoiding-psychological-bias.htm
● Partnership on AI. (2016-1018): https://www.partnershiponai.org/
● J. Powell. “It's About Time We Challenge Our Unconscious Biases.” TEDxStLouisWomen. (2016):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thkmVv54e6M
● J. Powles. “New York City’s Bold, Flawed Attempt to Make Algorithms Accountable.” The New Yorker. (2017):
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/new-york-citys-bold-flawed-attempt-to-make-algorithms-accountable
● M.J. Socolow. “How to Prevent Smart People From Spreading Dumb Ideas.” The New York Times. (2018):
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/opinion/facebook-spreading-ideas.html
● J. Temperton. “DeepMind's new AI ethics unit is the company's next big move.” Wired UK. (2017):
http://www.wired.co.uk/article/deepmind-ethics-and-society-artificial-intelligence
● A. Thompson. “Google’s Sentiment Analyzer Thinks Being Gay Is Bad.” Motherboard. (2017):
https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/j5jmj8/google-artificial-intelligence-bias
● @sara_ann_marie. “the line from "look at our cool new facial-recognition app" to "wow this thing only works for white people" is a
fucking millimeter long and clearly marked. why can't a single tech co seem to be able to see it?” (2018):
https://twitter.com/sara_ann_marie/status/953783812315602944
● M. Simmons. “Studies Show That People Who Have High ‘Integrative Complexity’ Are More Likely To Be Successful.” (2018):
https://medium.com/the-mission/studies-show-that-people-who-have-high-integrative-complexity-are-more-likely-to-be-successful-
443480e8930c
Additional resources (cont’d)
29

30. @karenbachmann Know Thyself: Managing Bias #UXPA2018 30
Know thyself and to thine users be true
Understanding and managing biases that can
influence UX work
UXPA • June 2018 slides will be posted at: www.designforcontext.com/insights
Karen Bachmann
karen@designforcontext.com
™ @karenbachmann
UXPA 2018
Puerto Rico
#UXPA18