Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman, the psychologist awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, helped found the field of behavioural economics. His book Thinking, Fast and Slow is one of the best not-too-technical summaries of research on dual process theory, and in this 2013 talk he gives a comprehensive summary of its concepts.

At the centre is the idea that the mind works with two systems. System 1 handles fast reactions and emotion, while System 2 handles slow, conscious deliberation. Much of our everyday judgement runs on System 1, which is where many cognitive biases come from.

After learning about the two systems, a useful exercise for product teams is to consider whether a product appeals to System 1 or System 2. Many persuasive patterns in the UI-Patterns.com library, such as anchoring, framing and loss aversion, describe System 1 effects.