Too Many Choices

Too many choices cause headaches rather than satisfaction. I admit one of my weaker areas is the inability to make decisions. Do I want to do this or that? Do I want this or that? Should I go to this? Should I get this or that?

Visit any restaurant and the menu typically contains too many choices. When I bought an MP3 player for my kid, I debated which color to get. Tennis shoes, tennis racquet, all-in-one printer, cochlear implant (small vs. regular), volleyball socks. These were all subjects of recent decisions.

My mom decided to get a digital camera for my older two kids as gifts. The oldest has an old camera of mine, but it takes faded photos every now and then — and she takes tons of photos. The SD30 wasn’t for them, so I did quick research (dreading it as I know I could easily spend hours on cameras). I found one and the price was right. Told Mom and left it at that.

Thankfully, another Web site confirmed I made the right decision. Had it the site contained poor reviews, I’d scramble and start the search again. This is exactly what happened when I almost bought an all-in-one printer.

I have a crowded small office. As an organized person, everything has its place. An all-in-one would give me breathing room as I could pass on my color printer and scanner to my oldest. Well, I did that and I have a little more room — and the fax remains since this new all-in-one was a minus one — no fax.

I’ve been reviewing Web sites stepping into the target market’s head as I work around each Web site. The problem with many is they provide too many choices. A site should have no more than one call to action on a page. The navigation — it’s as if the company is afraid to cut out items thinking the visitor would want them. They can’t miss what’s not there.

A good resource on this topic is Barry Schwartz’s The Paradox of Choice. Sadly it sits on my shelf unread as other books get first dibs.

Do we need so many choices?