(Book Review) Design for Cognitive Bias, 1st Edition

Overview

Review Published: September, 2020.

From Content Strategist, design advocate, and prolific speaker David Dylan Thomas comes an examination of the biases that influence the design process.

From understanding what a bias is and why we have them, to how they affect the various parties with a design project, this book serves as a detailed introductory text of the psychology underpinning design initiatives.

Rating:

4.5 / 5

(Great Content, Presentation is Engaging)

What does this score mean?

Difficulty:

Intermediate (General knowledge of the design process is needed).

Length:

107 pages.

Where to Buy It:

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Check your Local Library:

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What's Good

Unique & insightful content; applying the study of cognitive bias to the main players in the design process, each type of bias is clearly explained and then potential approaches are introduced to help minimize (or potentially neutralize) those biases.
Very accessible with a conversational style; while the author assumes you are generally familiar with the design process, he introduces and explains each concept with wit and humour, making this book a fascinating and enjoyable read.
Clear organization, thoroughly sourced, & extensive resources; the author takes a very broad and deep topic, organizes it pragmatically with a comprehensive resource list to back up everything being presented, and provides further reading for those that want to go deeper into this topic.

What Can Be Improved

A little room for expansion; there are a few instances where a bit more depth would really flesh out the design ramifications surrounding a concept (i.e. discussing the “Primacy” & “Recency” components of the “Serial Position Effect”, discussing “Reactance” and “Confirmation Bias” in terms of stakeholder behaviour, etc.), and this presents an opportunity for a flawless 2nd edition.

The Bottom Line

Addresses the often overlooked, but critical, underpinnings of the design process; as the psychology of design becomes more of a mainstream consideration, this book stands as an invaluable resource for getting a handle on a challenging aspect of the design industry.
For any designer or stakeholder interested in making better solutions through effective leadership; going beyond the initial mechanics involved in learning about the design process, this book deals with the psychological underpinnings of how that process can be used more effectively to create mutual benefit for both users and organizations.
A deep & accessible primer for a low price; for a price-point of around $14 (for the eBook version), this is a unique and accessible introduction to the psychology of design that has massive ramifications on the work we do, and easily deserves space in your UX library.