No. #87

Impact Bias
- Overestimating Emotional Impact

Impact bias is the tendency to overestimate the length or the intensity of the future feeling states. This can influence how users anticipate their satisfaction with or the benefits of a product, potentially leading to unrealistic expectations.

Read more on Wikipedia

Product example

Users might overestimate the happiness they’ll derive from a new feature, leading to disappointment if it doesn’t meet inflated expectations.

Empathy tips

1

Set Realistic Expectations

Clearly communicate what users can realistically expect to avoid disappointment.

2

User Feedback Mechanisms

Implement mechanisms for gathering user feedback on actual versus expected impact.

3

Adjust Marketing Messages

Adjust marketing messages to present a balanced view of product benefits.

4

Post-Purchase Support

Offer post-purchase support and resources to manage expectations and satisfaction.

Need an empathic partner?

Anna Lundqvist portrait
Anna Lundqvist
UX Designer and AI Ethics Strategist guiding innovative product development and educational workshops
Eddy Salzmann portrait
Eddy Salzmann
Design lead and team culture enthusiast driving products and design processes
Ola Möller portrait
Ola Möller
Founder of MethodKit who has a passion for organisations and seeing the big picture
Hire us