🧠 Our memories aren't like digital recordings: Don't fall for the misinformation effect!
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We tend to modify our memories of events when exposed to false information after the fact. This cognitive bias shows how our memories are malleable and can be influenced by post-event information, even when that information is incorrect.
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What happens when two leaders remember the same research entirely differently?
I watched a product manager and an engineering lead argue about user research results a while back.
💪 Both were confident
🫣 Both were wrong
Let me tell you a story…
We were a quarter into what was about six months' worth of work. During a refinement session, our PM insisted we missed a feature shop inspectors needed. An engineer thought we missed another.
They went back and forth for a few minutes until one of my designers interjected…
They were both wrong!
The research showed that Shop Inspectors struggled to switch between parts on large-quantity jobs. The original shop visit interviews barely mentioned those "critical" requirements they argued about.
Turns out, both had several conversations with people outside the shop who thought they knew what was happening on the ground. Both were fed incorrect information, which made them believe the original research said something else entirely.
This is the misinformation effect in action. Our memories aren't reliable recordings—they're stories that get unconsciously rewritten by every meeting, discussion, and email thread we participate in.
What ultimately convinced them? Unfortunately, it wasn’t my designer, although she was great. It was the report from our research trip and the hours of recordings.
So, the next time you're confident about what was said in a meeting six months ago, ask yourself: Do I remember that correctly, or do I remember the meetings about the meetings?
Elizabeth Loftus first documented the misinformation effect in the 1970s through her research on eyewitness testimony. In her initial studies, participants watched videos of car accidents and were later asked questions containing misleading information. She found that this misleading information was often incorporated into their memories of the original event.
Later research expanded on these findings, showing that the misinformation effect occurs not just in experimental settings but also in real-world situations. Studies in the 1980s and 1990s demonstrated how media coverage, leading questions, and conversations with others could alter people's memories of events they had personally experienced.
The strength of the misinformation effect depends on various factors, including the time between the original event and exposure to misinformation, the source's credibility, and the individual's confidence in their original memory. Research has shown that even when people are warned about the possibility of misinformation, they can still be susceptible to its effects.
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For software teams, misinformation can significantly impact decision-making and project outcomes. When team members discuss past projects or previous decisions, their recollections might be influenced by subsequent conversations or documentation that contains incorrect information.
For example, during retros, team members might misremember the events that led to a particular problem, especially if there have been numerous discussions about the issue with different interpretations. This can lead to incorrect root cause analysis and ineffective solutions.
The effect can also impact documentation. If we don't record decisions or rationalize them immediately, our memories might be influenced by discussions or assumptions, leading to inaccurate reporting and potentially misguided design decisions in the future. This can impact everything from roadmaps to user research.
🎯 Here are some key takeaways
1️⃣ Understand memories are malleable: Your memory isn’t like a recording but more like a story that gets slightly rewritten each time you tell it. This awareness helps you approach your recollections with healthy skepticism.
2️⃣ Record decisions in their original context: Maintain detailed documentation of the context, constraints, and assumptions present when decisions were made. This prevents current knowledge from retroactively influencing how past choices are understood.
3️⃣ Implement decision journals: Create personal and team decision journals that capture what was decided and why. This helps separate original reasoning from post-event rationalizations that might emerge as the work evolves.
4️⃣ Create memory checkpoints: Review and verify everyone’s understanding of key decisions and events against documented evidence. This helps identify and correct memory modifications before they impact any outcomes.
5️⃣ Correct misinformation as soon as possible: Research shows that addressing misinformation directly, even after it has influenced memory, can reduce its long-term impact. The sooner corrections are made, the more effective they are at helping restore accurate memories.
Join 6,000+ designers improving their soft skills, weekly!
Master the soft skills needed to be a great UX Designer
Beyond UX Design's mission is to give you the tools you need to be a truly effective UX designer by diving into the soft skills they won't be teaching you in school or a boot camp. These skills are critical to your success.
