Choice architecture
We all make choices every day - what to wear, what to eat, and which route to take to work. But have you ever stopped to think about how those choices are actually presented to you? That's the concept of choice architecture, and it's a critical part of UX design.
Steven Jobs's fashion choices may have seemed quirky at first but for him wearing the same thing every day was a way of streamlining his life and eliminating decision fatigue. It's estimated that the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions a day and over 200 are related to food. So decision fatigue is a real problem for users. This is why the food industry has options such as set menus, buffets and la carte options. UX design also has similar strategies.
“People have a strong tendency to go along with the status quo or default option.”
choice architecture
Choice architecture is the process of designing how choices are presented to users and can be used to influence their decision-making.
There are four main types of choice architecture:
1. Default options: These are the options that are pre-selected for users. For example, when creating a new account on a website, the default option might be to sign up for the newsletter.
2. Framing: This involves presenting choices in a way that influences the perception of those choices. For example, framing a choice as a loss (e.g., "You will lose 10% off your purchase if you don't choose this option") can lead to different decision-making than if the same choice was framed as a gain (e.g., "You will save 10% off your purchase if you choose this option").
3. Salience: This refers to how conspicuous or noticeable an option is. Salient options are more likely to be chosen than non-salient options, so it's important to consider how to make important choices more salient without making them too noticeable (which can lead to decision fatigue).
4. Priming: This occurs when previous exposure to a concept influences future decisions about that concept. For example, if a user sees a list of options that are all related to travel, they may be more likely to choose a travel-related option when presented with a list of choices that includes both travel and non-travel options.
Here are some ways in which choice architecture is used in UX design:
1. Default Options
This involves setting a particular option as the default so that users will be more likely to choose it. For example, if you were designing a website where users could select their preferred language, you might make English the default option.
2. Limited Choices
This help by reducing cognitive load so users to focus on the most relevant options. For example, if you were designing a mobile app with a limited amount of screen real estate, you might only include the most essential features and leave out any optional ones.
3. Forced Choices
This involves presenting users with two or more options and forcing them to choose one. For example, you might use forced choices when designing a login page for a website. In this case, users would be presented with the option to log in with their email address or their username.
4. Hidden Options
This involves hiding certain options from users so that they are less likely to choose them or are not yet ready to see them yet. For example “add to cart” button until the user has selected a product.
5. Sequential Choices
This involves presenting users with a series of choices that they must make in a specific order. For example, asking users for their billing information at the end of the flow.
6. The Decoy Effect
The decoy effect is a type of choice architecture where one option is presented as being significantly better or worse than the other options in order to make the other options seem more attractive by comparison. This type of choice architecture is often used in marketing and advertising.
7. The Preference Reversal
The preference reversal is a type of choice architecture where people’s preferences change depending on how the options are presented. For example, people may prefer Option A when it is presented as being “good”, but they may prefer Option B when it is presented as being “Basic“
Conclusion
Choice architecture is a critical part of UX design, and there are many different types that designers can use to influence the choices users to make. By understanding the different types of choice architectures and how they work, designers can create more user-friendly interfaces that help users make the choices they want to make. Thank you for reading.