The Paradox of Choice

The Paradox of Choice

Mike Hall | 11/07/2011

Research has shown that if presented with too much choice, users are likely to not choose anything at all.

Information overload has long been blamed for the inability of users to make a decision.

‘...the brain literally shuts down its intuitive unconscious guidance system when information just keeps coming...’ - Sheena Iyengar, The Art of Choosing

The internet provides users with literally unlimited information, so without a little handholding and guidance users find it hard to make a decision.

In tests of a user’s short term memory, George Miller found in his 1956 memory span tests that our poor human brains start to struggle to recall, and repeat back when asked, lists of more than 7 numbers, letters or words (hence why good website structures normally limit themselves to 7 + or – 2 navigational items per level of navigation. In fact it has since been proven that the number is more realistically as low as 3 or 4.

Beyond this magical number users struggle to commit to a decision and therefore won’t ‘convert’.

 From a web perspective what can we do to circumvent this?

1.       We can reduce the overall number of options or decisions (have a single main call to action on every page)

2.       Show short sharp highlighted features (maybe 3 clear bullet points)

3.       Recommended key products and bring them to the foreground

4.       Categorise products or services in an easily understandable way

5.       With high numbers of page, direct users through broad high-level categories to more specific narrower categories in through a simple and intuitive hierarchy

tags: Web Strategy ,  Web Design