Say vs. do
The gap between what people say about their behavior and motives, and what they actually do.
What problem it addresses
Explains why asking is not enough and people need to be observed in their context.
An example
Nisbett and Wilson laid out four identical pairs of stockings on a table and asked people to choose the best quality one.
People gave convincing reasons for a choice that actually depended on where each pair was.
Why it happens
We don't see everything that influences our decisions.
When asked, we give an explanation that sounds reasonable.
That is why you have to observe, as well as ask.
Applications in design
Use it like this
Combine interviews with observation: ask people to show you how they do it and, for what is hard to put into words, to make it (a collage, a map, a model).
Avoid
Taking literally what people say they would do with a product that does not exist yet.
Don’t fall for it
When what they say and what they do don't match, there is usually an insight there.
40% vs. 12%
What the research says
The pair of stockings on the right was chosen 40% of the time, versus 12% for the one on the left, even though they were all the same (Nisbett and Wilson, 1977).
Solid evidence. The study is a psychology classic on the limits of introspection, widely cited and debated.
Connections
Used in
Related to
Authors and works
- 1977
Richard Nisbett and Timothy Wilson
Showed that we often cannot explain why we do what we do.
- 2002
Elizabeth Sanders
Proposed combining what people say, what they do and what they make.
Sources
Original sources
- Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977). Telling more than we can know: Verbal reports on mental processes. Psychological Review, 84(3), 231–259. View source: Nisbett, R. E., & Wilson, T. D. (1977)
- Sanders, E. B.-N. (2002). From user-centered to participatory design approaches. In J. Frascara (Ed.), Design and the social sciences: Making connections (pp. 1–8). Taylor & Francis.
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