Steve is very shy and withdrawn, invariably helpful but with little interest in people or in the world of reality. A meek and tidy soul, he has a need for order and structure, and a passion for detail.

Is Steve more likely to be a librarian or a farmer?

Before you proceed, pause for a moment and make your choice – A for librarian and B for farmer and also make a mental note for your reasoning.

The description “a meek and tidy soul, he has a need for order and structure” flips the decision towards librarian for most people. If you have chosen A as the answer then it is wrong but the main point is to understand why it is wrong?

In similar way, any large architecture or design involves making lot of decision, though the current Lean Product Development suggests Assume variability; preserve options. It is good develop an ability to make good choices.

This session talks about cognitive bias and it's effect and how this can be addressed by using a Choice Architecture.

This session is inspired by the work done by nobel laureates Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler and design guru, the person behind human centred design Don Norman.