No. #76

Curse of Knowledge
- Expertise Blinds Communication

The curse of knowledge is a cognitive bias that occurs when an individual, communicating with other individuals, unknowingly assumes that the others have the background to understand. For product teams, this can lead to overly complex products or features that are hard for users to understand or adopt.

Read more on Wikipedia

Product example

A developer might assume that users understand technical jargon used within a software application, leading to confusion.

Empathy tips

1

Simplify Communication

Strive for simplicity in all user communications and product interfaces.

2

User Testing for Comprehension

Conduct user testing specifically to gauge comprehension of product features and instructions.

3

Educational Resources

Provide accessible educational resources to bridge knowledge gaps.

4

Iterative Feedback

Use iterative feedback to continuously improve the clarity of product communication.

Need an empathic partner?

Anna Lundqvist portrait
Anna Lundqvist
UX & AI ethics expert driving better products and smarter teams.
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Eddy Salzmann
Design lead crafting seamless products and mentoring design teams.
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Ola Möller
Facilitator helping organisations see the big picture and take action.