Data Distorters
Also known as: Severe Bias, Tier 2 Violations
Tier 2 of the VERITAS framework — violations that systematically skew findings without collapsing the interview.
Full Definition
Data Distorter violations corrupt findings in ways that are often invisible. The interviewer walks away with data that feels solid but points in the wrong direction. The three Data Distorter rules are: Focus on Behavior, No Leading Questions, and No Over-Steering.
Example
A team that asks hypothetical adoption questions across 15 interviews collects data that systematically overstates willingness to change behavior. The interviews felt productive. The data is misleading.