What do you do when users say buy, but experts say stop? I investigated

What should you do when ordinary users say “buy,” but experts say “stop”? The writer argues that the answer is not as simple as siding automatically with the experts.

Imagine looking for a new tablet and finding a model that initially seems appealing. You then read reviews from the experts at the Danish Consumer Council, Forbrugerrådet Tænk. They are not impressed. Their assessment points to mediocre battery life, a screen that is not among the best, and several technical compromises.

Many people may instinctively trust the experts and dismiss the assessments of “subjective” amateurs as less reliable. But Mikkel Nøjgaard, an assistant professor at the University of Southern Denmark, says his own research indicates that this is too simplistic a way to view the issue.

The debate centers on how consumers judge products when professional testing and user experience point in different directions. The article is presented as a debate contribution and reflects the writer’s views.