Freedom of choice?

We make choices every moment of our lives, though we may not realize it. Here are some examples ranging from how we choose to live our lives (healthcare and finances) to the decisions we enable as a result of our own work (in this case, design).

The WSJ recently covered the complexities of diagnosing gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) and how, in the case of infant GERD, much the treatment depends on how doctors and parents choose to treat a little understood condition.

http://tinyurl.com/6x9vp3

The NYT has an article narrating how a suburban Philadelphia mom making $50K a year accrued over $280K in debt, after choosing again and again to take up available credit offers.

http://tinyurl.com/54pvtc

In a TED talk given by Yves Behar, he highlights how allowing for a possible 400 combinations of coloring for the laptop’s logo is part of a design strategy to help kids fall in love with their laptop.

http://tinyurl.com/62xkwe

Evolution of industry, technology and society has unleashed a tsunami of choice that only a few hundred years ago would have been unimaginable. For the majority of human existence choice was absent, and in its place were dogma, tyranny, and some basics laws of nature.

We are now far from being devoid of choice, even in still totalitarian societies. This swing of the choice pendulum from no choice to constant choice may be setting the stage for the pendulum to swing back to the center. In my recent work, I have come across study after study critiquing choice. Choice is sometimes overwhelming and may, counter intuitively, result in inaction. Choice may sometimes not improve your life and, in the absence of education, may instead leave you worse off. Choice can sometimes be more for the benefit of those creating choice than for those having to choose.

As unlikely a source of design wisdom as the Pope may be, he recently said:

“Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty and subjective experience displaces truth.”

Maybe the experiences that we create should emphasize relevant options as opposed to every path possible. Or perhaps choice should be presented more in context with the possible outcomes or consequences of making a particular choice. Some may see this as creating bias, or as unfairly or unnecessarily sharing risk with the individual/consumer. Being that we are a social species I find it hard to believe that bias isn’t already there and that risk isn’t already shared.

Maybe total freedom of choice is as bad an idea as the complete absence of choice.