Overcoming Baby Duck Syndrome: How Repeated Use Improves Acceptance of Interface Updates
Users often prefer older versions of interfaces due to a cognitive bias known as the baby duck syndrome, where their first experience with an interface becomes the benchmark against which all future updates are judged. However, an experiment conducted by researchers from HSE University produced an encouraging result: simply re-exposing users to the updated interface reduced the bias and improved their overall perception of the new version. The study has been published in Cognitive Processing.
Mobile and computer interfaces have become an integral part of daily life: in 2024, Russians spent an average of eight hours online each day—nearly half of their waking time. During these hours, we rely on programs, applications, and websites to support our communication, work, and entertainment. However, many people resist interface updates, even when they significantly improve usability. Researchers attribute this to the baby duck syndrome—a cognitive bias in which a user's first experience with an interface becomes imprinted as the standard against which all future versions are judged.
Until recently, the baby duck syndrome has primarily been explored in the context of user experience (UX) and interface design. Most insights have come from UX designers and usability experts who shared their observations through blogs and articles. However, there is still limited scientific evidence on the psychological mechanisms underlying this phenomenon. Researchers at the HSE Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users conducted two experiments to better understand why users are often reluctant to accept changes to interface design.
In the first experiment, researchers compared users’ perceptions of the old and new versions of the Airbnb app. Participants were asked to complete a series of common tasks: find accommodation using filters, save its details, and set up an account. The second experiment was carried out using a custom-built student portal that featured two versions differing in colour scheme and menu item placement. In both experiments, participants were divided into experimental and control groups: the experimental group interacted with two different versions of the interface, while the control group used the same version twice.
After completing the tasks, participants evaluated the interfaces’ convenience and overall impression using standard scales: the System Usability Scale (SUS)—recently adapted for Russian-speaking users by the laboratory’s researchers—the SUPR-Q, and the semantic differential scale.
Both studies revealed a clear trend: users tend to rate the interface they first interact with more favourably, regardless of its actual features. For example, in the Airbnb experiment, the older version received higher ratings despite improvements in the new version’s functionality. Similarly, with the student portal, users gave more positive feedback about the first version they saw, even though the design differences were minimal.
Ekaterina Kosova
'It is important to note that the baby duck syndrome is driven not only by familiarity from regular use but also by deeper psychological mechanisms: the first interaction with a system creates an emotional anchor that is hard to overcome,' explains Ekaterina Kosova, Junior Research Fellow at the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users and co-author of the study.
Interestingly, differences in how users perceived the new and old interface versions appeared not only in their conscious evaluations but also in objective measures such as task completion speed and participants’ emotional engagement.
However, the scientists observed that simply increasing the time spent with the new interface led to more positive evaluations. In the control groups, where participants used the same version of the website twice, a slight increase in ratings was observed with repeated use. This suggests that a positive attitude toward an interface can develop even after multiple interactions. Therefore, increasing the frequency and duration of interface use can help mitigate negative impressions caused by updates.
According to the researchers, companies developing digital products can leverage this insight to lessen users’ negative perceptions of new interface versions.
Nadezhda Glebko
'This evidence is important for interface designers and developers, as it sheds light on why users may react negatively to updates. By understanding the baby duck syndrome, companies can create strategies for smoother update rollouts and communicate new features more effectively to help users adapt,' sums up Nadezhda Glebko, Junior Research Fellow at the Laboratory for Cognitive Psychology of Digital Interface Users and co-author of the study.
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