If psychology and behavioral science have taught us anything in the past sixty years, it is that people are not purely rational actors who only make conscious decisions based on factual information. That doesn’t mean we’re all totally irrational or that we live at the whim of our impulses. Instead, decisions and behavior are guided both by emotions (‘System 1’) and deliberate thoughts (‘System 2’). These two systems work in tandem to help people make sense of the world and find the best course of action.

Many organizations, however, focus almost exclusively on people’s System 2. When they conduct or commission research, they give people long questionnaires about what they want and do – and why. When organizations develop new concepts, they often look exclusively at the functional list of benefits and user actions, without regard to the impact of their product on people’s latent needs, unconscious habits, and subjective identities.

Decisions and behavior are guided both by emotions and deliberate thoughts. These two systems work in tandem to help people make sense of the world…