I was reading something recently that the business unit which targets consumer and small business segment had on their website. It talked about the Paradox of Choice - Why More can sometimes be Less and referenced Barry Schwartz's book by this name. It discussed how limiting the number of choices and making device set up easy can greatly improve the user experience and satisfaction when it comes to consumers who just want basic capability.
Having recently spent an entire weekend trying to setup a router for my home office and having trouble doing so, I could appreciate their thesis. Later I found out I was not supposed to try and configure the router at all. Rather, I was supposed to simply invoke a pre-loaded script that would install a pre-defined configuration. It took me literally twenty minutes to do this. It was a breeze and I felt like a fool having wasted the entire weekend struggling with complex configuration
choices I did not understand!
Apple has figured out the power of simplicity long ago. Most apple computers come prebuilt with the devices they need and there is not much the user can add. Even the iPod is such a hit because of the extremely simple interface.
Choice sometimes gives people a sense of
control. I remember hearing in a radio program about parenting that parents should offer even young kids a choice rather than being very prescriptive. So, rather than saying "It is cold outside, wear your jacket" the parent could say "It is cold outside, would you like to wear your blue jacket or brown sweater". This gives the child a sense of control, that they can choose what they wear.
Being a vegeterian, I often find that during company functions there is just one vegeterian meal option. Whereas there are several non-vegeterian meals to pick from. This annoys me and I would rather have the option to choose which among a variety of vegeterian meals I would want.
However, having a choice can sometimes make life difficult. Among all my immigrant friends, those that have a choice of either living here or returning to their native country are the ones who are often restless, especially when life in their native country is also good. Among those that return to their native land, the ones that don't have the option of coming back to the US settle down and move on with their life. Where as those that can come back keep wondering whether they should return to the US. The grass often seems greener of the other side. Having the choice makes them miserable.
Similar situation occurs when one gets two job offers and both are equally good, or one gets accepted into two or more universities each of which is as prestigious as the other. Or worse yet, if one is in love with more than one girl and has to choose one that he will marry. Having to choose can be agonizing.
These days there seem to be so many choices in every aspect of life from cable plans to phone plans, insurance schemes, investment choices, career choices, choices of medicines. Understanding the choices and the pros and cons of each can be a harrowing experience. Often it causes stress and anxiety.
Sometimes more is less!
