Perception & Visual Processing

Mental models/Anchoring

Anchoring

The cognitive bias where people rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the anchor) when making decisions.

Explained

The first number or fact a user sees becomes the reference point every later judgement is measured against.
A struck-through original price makes the sale price feel like a bargain, even when that original was never realistic.
Because the anchor sets the scale, the true value matters less than what it sits beside.
This works on quantities, plans, and even the order in which options appear.

In the wild12 screens