6 Common Biases in Interviews
and how to overcome them
‘I’m so smart’, you might be thinking.
I am not saying you are wrong. I am saying that there are some things to consider before the final conclusion.
Let’s start with the basic. What is bias?
It is a tendency or inclination to favour or disfavour a particular idea, group, or individual. Often, the person being biased is not aware of what they are doing. They can also get defensive or offended when this is pointed out.
Why is it dangerous?
It influences how we see & perceive reality. If someone just discards some information or favours or disfavours some groups — without even realising it- their view would be particularly skewed. Clearly this would have significant impacts on decision-making processes.
Bias can stem from a variety of sources, such as personal experiences, cultural background, or societal norms, and can manifest in different ways, such as through stereotypes, prejudices, or assumptions. In order to conduct effective research and make sound decisions, it’s important to be aware of and actively address any biases that may be present.
This often happens without conscious awareness and that's particularly dangerous. In fact, some of the most biased people can think that they are not.
Let’s look at some types which you can encounter when interviewing participants in your UX/ UI study.
Confirmation bias
This bias occurs when you start looking for evidence to prove a hypothesis you have. Because you think you already have the answer, you’re drawn to information that confirms your beliefs and preconceptions.
When researching something you might start to gravitate to the ideas that support your view and discard or justify any contradictory ones.
To overcome confirmation bias ask open-ended questions in interviews. These are the questions that cannot be answered with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ only. In addition, avoid asking any leading questions and try to make them as objective as possible. Having a large sample size with different groups is another way to avoid confirmation bias.
Selection bias
Beware of how you select your participants. In most cases aim to include a diverse set of the population.
Try finding people for your study through different sources.
False Consensus bias
False Consensus bias is an assumption that others think the same way as you do. In the most extreme case, someone could think that if anyone disagrees with them they are abnormal. An example could be assuming that someone supports the same political party as you because they are the same gender. You can avoid false consensus bias by identifying and articulating your assumptions. Another one would be to have a large sample size to account for different demographics.
Recency Bias
That’s when it’s easiest to remember the last thing you heard in an interview, conversation, or similar setting because it’s the most recent. The same when talking to a friend or listening to a podcast you are likely to remember the last thing they said.
To avoid this take notes and transcribe meetings if the interviewees are okay with that.
Primacy Bias
This is where you remember the first participant most strongly. This could be because it is a new experience. Similarly, you could remember the person you liked most. As with recency bias take detailed notes.
It also helps to have a good structure for interviews so that you do not accidentally skip sections with certain groups.
Implicit bias/ unconscious bias
Implicit bias is a collection of attitudes and stereotypes we associate to people without our conscious knowledge. This could relate to gender, race, disability, caste or class.
The most important thing to note about implicit biases is that everybody has them. To overcome our biases, we can reflect on our behaviours, and we can ask others to point out our implicit biases. That’s one of the best ways we can become aware of our biases.
TLDR | Interview Biases
Bias is a tendency or inclination to favour or disfavour a particular idea, group, or individual.
Different Types of Biases and how to overcome them.
- Confirmation Bias | Looking for a way to prove your hypothesis | Have a large sample size and ask open-ended questions
- Selection bias | not asking a diverse group | Select participants using different methods, map their characteristics and see if some are missing
- Recency & primacy bias | Remembering the last thing or a particular participant more strongly | Follow a set structure in interviews and take detailed notes
- Implicit or unconscious bias | Stereotyping People | Be self-aware
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