Too much choice can sometimes be the major problem with creating the best user experience.
Let’s take my space of learning design as an example ⬇️
As end users, we’re bombarded with more choices than ever before.
This can often lead to decision fatigue if we’re not intentional with our interactions on platforms and products.
You can see find this in experiences with many of the world’s leading platforms today. And most certainly in my domain of learning technology.
Entering these platforms and their content libraries is like that scene from Willy Wonka where all the children walk into the factory and can’t help but grab every goodie because their brain is overwhelmed with choice, and of course, greed.
This is a similar experience in the workplace L&D space.
Where someone like me is the Willy Wonka character and I invite the users of the workforce into the chocolate factory. They have no clear intent on what they need to learn or what would be most useful to them at that moment.
Content libraries often facilitate experiences like this. Very excited people who are keen to learn entering a facility with boundless choice on how to improve themselves.
Yet, often leave doing nothing as they’re overwhelmed by the constant doom-scrolling.
So, how can we improve this?
One idea is that as ‘Willy Wonka’ in this scenario, we’re the curator of the content & creator of the experience.
We can optimise that experience from ‘here’s a room full of delicious chocolate’ to ‘This room is full of delicious chocolate, but, this is the best stuff for you’
Although, automating many experiences in surfacing content would be useful. I find it still needs the human touch to create said experiences.
This is the opportunity to blend tech and human design together. Think more about making content experiences intentional.
Being Willy Wonka in the short term with all the choices of chocolate in the world might seem fun. But, without proper moderation and guidance, we’d end up fat, bloated and unhealthy.
Just like our minds would from merely storing more content with no application.
Keep that in mind next time you’re building a platform, product or service centred around choices.
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