Concept
Framing Effects
The same true numbers can give very different impressions depending on how they are presented: axis ranges, baselines, absolute versus relative, or wording. Framing changes perception without changing the facts, so check how a number is shown, not just what it is.
Lessons
Framing Changes the Message
How a number is shown steers what people conclude from it.
Metrics Change Behavior
A metric can be a useful signal until people are rewarded for moving it; then the signal often gets gamed.
Related Facts
Data Tricks
4 min · easy
A chart can mislead without a single false number
Start a bar chart's axis at 95 instead of 0 and a two-point change can look like a landslide.
Risk & Decisions
4 min · easy
Goodhart's law: when a number becomes a target, it starts to lie
A metric can be useful until people are rewarded for moving it. Then the number may improve while the real goal gets worse.