Cognitive biases in ecommerce
An audit of how an online marketplace uses decision-making patterns across its experience.
At a glance
- The challenge
Understand how behavioural patterns influence ecommerce decisions.
- My role
UX Writing postgraduate project
- What I did
UX audit · Behavioural analysis · Pattern identification
- Outcome
A structured audit — and a critical question: does the pattern help people choose, or push them?
Context
For this postgraduate exercise I audited Novica, an artisan marketplace, through the lens of behavioural design.
Approach
I identified examples related to confirmation, reward and punishment, scarcity and Hick’s Law, then documented where each appeared, how it worked and the likely effect on a decision.
Learning
Naming a pattern is only the beginning. The useful part is explaining its context and considering whether it helps people choose or simply pushes them.
What this work shows
- Behavioural design
- UX analysis
- Ethical judgement