The Hawthorne Effect: 5 Guidelines to Avoid it

Summary: The Hawthorne effect is a phenomenon where people change their behavior because they know they are being observed. Here are 5 guidelines for mitigating the Hawthorne effect in user research.

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The Hawthorne Effect: 5 Guidelines to Avoid it

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The Hawthorne Effect or Observer Bias in User Research

Individuals often modify their behavior if they know they are being observed. That phenomenon became known as the Hawthorne effect or the observer bias. We can mitigate this effect by building rapport, designing natural tasks, and spending more time with study participants.

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Rachel Banawa is an Experience Specialist at Nielsen Norman Group. Rachel leverages her extensive training in quantitative methods and statistics in her research to turn complex data into actionable, evidence-based insights. She holds a Ph.D. in health policy and management from the University of California, Los Angeles.

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