No. #80

Illusion of Asymmetric Insight
- Believing We Know Others Better

The illusion of asymmetric insight is the belief that we understand others better than they understand themselves (or us), leading to potential misunderstandings in user research and communication. This can impact how products are marketed and how user feedback is interpreted.

Read more on Wikipedia

Product example

A product team may believe they know what users want better than the users themselves, leading to misaligned product features.

Empathy tips

1

Promote Open Dialogue

Encourage open dialogue between users and product teams to better understand user needs.

2

User-Centered Research

Emphasize user-centered research methods that seek to truly understand user perspectives.

3

Challenge Assumptions

Regularly challenge assumptions about user needs and preferences.

4

Diverse User Feedback

Collect and consider a diverse range of user feedback to gain a comprehensive understanding of user insights.

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.