Sunk cost fallacy

The sunk cost fallacy describes the tendency to keep investing in our original choice because we've already spent a lot of time, effort, or money on it. Even if its costs outweigh its benefits, we feel guilty and reluctant to give up.^[1]

It often happens to designers who get emotionally connected to their designs. They find it impossible to admit that their solution doesn't solve the problem and must be changed. When UX researchers get affected by this bias, they continue conducting research, collecting data, and obsessing over the findings, even if they've strayed off the course.

To avoid this bias, define your research goals beforehand and outline points at which you can evaluate whether you're on the right track.