This content originally appeared on NN/g latest articles and announcements and was authored by Mayya Azarova
Summary: Individuals often modify their behavior if they know they are being observed. That phenomenon became known as the Hawthorne effect or the observer bias. We can mitigate this effect by building rapport, designing natural tasks, and spending more time with study participants.
“If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" This famous thought experiment asks us to think about observation, perception, consciousness, and the nature of sound. We are not going to get deep into philosophy here; however, the question of how observation affects behavior is central to user-experience research.
Definition : The observer bias or the Hawthorne effect refers to the fact that people behave differently when they know they are observed.
Even though there are some questions about the setup and validity of the studies that introduced this effect, they made a lasting impact on management practices. The Hawthorne effect is also widely used to promote desirable behaviors –- for example, to encourage compliance with handwashing by telling people they are being watched in the bathrooms and to increase road safety by displaying dummy CCTV cameras.
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This content originally appeared on NN/g latest articles and announcements and was authored by Mayya Azarova
Mayya Azarova | Sciencx (2023-05-21T16:00:00+00:00) The Hawthorne Effect or Observer Bias in User Research. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2023/05/21/the-hawthorne-effect-or-observer-bias-in-user-research/
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