No. #118

Sunk Cost Fallacy
- Commitment to Past Decisions

The sunk cost fallacy is the tendency to continue an endeavor once an investment in money, effort, or time has been made, leading to continued investment in a losing proposition rather than cutting losses. This can affect how users interact with products or services, particularly in cases where they've invested significant resources.

Read more on Wikipedia

Product example

Users might continue using a subscription service they no longer enjoy or find useful simply because they've already paid for it.

Empathy tips

1

Awareness and Decision Making

Promote awareness about the sunk cost fallacy and encourage rational decision-making.

2

Easy Exit Options

Provide easy options for users to change or exit commitments without feeling trapped by past investments.

3

Reminders of Current Value

Remind users of the current value and benefits of the service or product.

4

Encourage Periodic Reviews

Encourage users to periodically review their engagements and subscriptions to assess their current value.

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