Octet Design Studio

  Imagine you’re designing an app that helps people save money. You build smooth flows, intuitive UX, and powerful nudges . But users still overspend. You improve the onboarding, add gamification , and refine the copy—still—friction. What if the problem isn’t in the design but the mind? Welcome to the world of cognitive dissonance , a psychological phenomenon that quietly drives much of human behavior. It’s often misunderstood and rarely accounted for in product development, yet it influences every decision your user makes. At Octet , we believe in designing with behavioral intelligence, not just behavioral data. That starts with understanding the friction within us. Coined by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort a person experiences when they simultaneously hold two or more contradictory beliefs, values, or attitudes, or when their behavior doesn’t align with their beliefs. Here’s the classic example: You believe in healthy livi...

Why Our Brains Tell Two Different Stories—and We Still Believe Both Ever told yourself you’ll start eating healthy on Monday while polishing off a tub of ice cream on Sunday night? That's not hypocrisy. That’s cognitive dissonance. It’s one of the most powerful, uncomfortable, and strangely human experiences we go through, almost every day. At Octet , we spend a lot of time studying behavior, not the idealized version in user personas, but the messy, conflicting, beautifully irrational behavior that makes people so complex and interesting to design. Cognitive dissonance isn’t just some psychology theory tucked away in academic papers. It’s what drives your guilt after a splurge, your need to justify a bad hire, or why you argue with a friend knowing you might be wrong. Let’s dig into cognitive dissonance and how it shows up in your everyday life. First, What Exactly Is Cognitive Dissonance? Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort you feel when your actions, values, or belief...

  Cognitive Dissonance and Depression At the core of many mental health struggles lies a quiet yet relentless conflict: the space between what we believe and how we behave. This conflict, known as cognitive dissonance, may seem like a temporary discomfort —but when prolonged, it can become a heavy emotional weight, contributing to the onset or worsening of depression. In this Design Journal piece, we explore how cognitive dissonance isn't just a theoretical psychological concept—it’s a lived experience that can shape our mood, influence our identity, and play a pivotal role in mental health, particularly depression. What is Cognitive Dissonance? Coined by psychologist Leon Festinger in 1957, cognitive dissonance refers to the internal discomfort we feel when we hold two or more contradictory beliefs or when our actions contradict our values or self-image. Example: If you value honesty but find yourself lying to keep the peace, a gap forms between your self-perception and behavior....