The Paradox of Choice

click to enlarge

Here's an interesting idea that could, in theory, be applied to several disciplines. The Paradox of Choice is the idea that too much choice actually leads to indecision, anxiety, and well, not choosing anything. The term comes from the 2004 book of the same name by Barry Schwartz. The original context of the book was consumer products and shopping but I came across it in my information architecture readings.

Designing information spaces involves navigation and usability. The idea of Paradox of Choice comes into play when deciding what options to give users when they search for content. For large, complex sites, this is a huge undertaking. I remember my frustrations doing this while working at a city/regional magazine in Annapolis. I decided the website needed to be reworked, specifically the navigation. But because we supplied content from two monthly magazines, it was extremely difficult to provide enough options for users to find what they need but few enough so they don't get confused. It's a subtle give-and-take.

I've added an image of a visualization of this interesting paradox.

Terrible Credit Card Machine Design

Quick, do the exact opposite of what
you think you should do. 

If you've ever used a credit card at a store, you probably have run into this. After you slide your card, you are usually asked to choose debit or credit. I always use credit because my bank charges me fees for using debit. So after you choose credit, a curious thing happens (99 times out of a 100)—the credit card machine asks you to hit CANCEL to continue. What? Why? That makes no sense. Designers are supposed to anticipate the mental models of the users of their products. When I want to continue with a process, my first thought isn't to cancel the process. I want to continue. Yet 99% of credit card machines in stores require me to hit cancel.

The funny thing is, everyone knows this (or is used to it) but everyone still asks if they need to hit CANCEL. I've even been to a lot of stores where there is a piece of paper taped to the machine that says YES, PRESS CANCEL FOR CREDIT. If the users of your product have to tape a note to it to direct its operation, something is wrong.

A View of Understanding

I just started graduate school and this is one of my first assignments. I had to define data, information, and knowledge as I understand them. I think my approach is novel. I really enjoyed designing the representation of this view. Maybe there is a career for that kind of work in my future. Who knows. If you click on the image you can see it in a larger form.