The Hawthorne Effect describes the phenomenon whereby people change their behavior when they know they are being observed.

Origin

The effect was first studied in the 1920s and 1930s at the Hawthorne Works of the Western Electric Company near Chicago. The aim was to analyze the influence of lighting on work performance, but the researchers found that mere participation in the study improved the performance of the workers – regardless of whether the lighting conditions were optimized or worsened.

  • Mayo, E. (1933). The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization. Macmillan.
  • Roethlisberger, F. J., & Dickson, W. J. (1939). Management and the Worker. Harvard University Press.

Application in UX and UI design

In UX and UI design, the Hawthorne Effect has implications for user testing and behavioral analysis. When users know they are being observed – for example in a usability test or through eye-tracking studies – they may behave differently than they would in everyday life. This can lead them to interact more consciously, read more attentively, or use features that they would normally ignore.

To minimize this bias, UX research methods should be designed to reduce the influence of observation. These include:

  • Remote usability tests, in which users operate in their familiar environment.
  • Data analysis of real-life usage scenarios to capture actual behavior.
  • Long-term A/B tests that analyze behavioral patterns over a longer period of time.

Impact on the User Experience

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Further information