User Experience
Confidence
Plain English
How sure you are.
Definition
Confidence is the level of certainty in a decision or outcome based on available evidence.
In practice
Used in glossaryPrioritisationPrioritisation is the process of ranking tasks, features, or initiatives based on their importance, impact, and effort.Open glossary term and glossaryDecision MakingDecision making is the process of selecting the best course of action from available options based on information, goals, and constraints.Open glossary term to assess how reliable assumptions or glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term are.
In context
It is what determines whether someone completes a task or hesitates and leaves. Showing the total before asking for card details buys more of it than any reassurance copy.
The reality
Often overstated, especially when based on opinion rather than evidence.
Compared with
Confidence vs Trust
glossaryTrustUser confidence that a product, service, or organisation will do what it promises.Open glossary term is about the organisation: will they do what they promised. Confidence is about the moment: do I understand what is about to happen. A trusted brand can still lose people at a step that leaves them uncertain.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What does confidence mean in product work?
It reflects how certain you are about a decision or outcome.
How is confidence measured?
Through glossaryData QualityData quality is the degree to which data is accurate, complete, consistent, and reliable enough for the purpose it is being used for. It sets the ceiling on every decision, report, and model built on top of it.Open glossary term, serviceUser ResearchUnderstand user behaviour, validate ideas, and make clearer product decisions with evidence you can act on.Open service depth, and validation.
Why is confidence important?
It helps prioritise work and reduce risk.
What lowers confidence?
Limited glossaryDataData is raw, uninterpreted information collected and stored so it can be analysed, processed, or used to inform decisions. On its own it carries no meaning; context and interpretation are what make it useful.Open glossary term, assumptions, or conflicting evidence.
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