No. #96
Social Desirability Bias
- Favoring Socially Acceptable Responses
Social desirability bias is the tendency of respondents to answer questions in a manner that will be viewed favorably by others. This can significantly affect user feedback and survey responses, potentially skewing product research and user testing results.
Read more on WikipediaProduct example
Users may overreport positive behaviors, such as exercising or healthy eating, in a wellness app's feedback form, leading to inaccurate data on app usage.
Empathy tips
1
Anonymous Feedback
Encourage anonymous feedback to reduce social pressure.
2
Direct Observation
Where possible, complement surveys with direct observation of user behavior.
3
Clarify No Right or Wrong Answers
Emphasize in surveys that there are no right or wrong answers, encouraging honesty.
4
Diverse Data Collection Methods
Use a variety of data collection methods to mitigate the impact of social desirability bias.
Need an empathic partner?
Anna Lundqvist
UX Designer and AI Ethics Strategist guiding innovative product development and educational workshops
Eddy Salzmann
Design lead and team culture
enthusiast driving products and
design processes
Ola Möller
Founder of MethodKit who has a
passion for organisations and
seeing the big picture