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Check your team for get-there-itis
Symptoms of this dysfunctional team strategy may include last-minute iterations and soul aches.
“Get-there-itis” is a real term born from aviation.
It describes a dangerous mindset where pilots stick to their original plan despite new information indicating a need for change. Also known as plan continuation bias, it’s a particularly dangerous behavior pattern.
One example of this is the Turkish Airlines Flight 6491 crash in 2017.
Despite poor visibility and advice to divert, the pilots chose to continue their landing attempt. This led to the plane striking the ground short of the runway, causing a crash that resulted in the deaths of 39 people:
To be honest, I’m tired of “cognitive biases” or “laws” in user experience. They seem to have popped up out of nowhere, and now you’re supposed to know all 10+ biases and 15+ UX laws.
At the same time, I think get-there-itis is really important. It has huge, real, bloody, lethal consequences. It’s a psychologically destructive pattern. Recognizing this pattern in your team is crucial to…
