Too Many Choices and Hick’s Law

As Mary stood in front of the hummus at her local Trader Joe’s, she thought so many choices so little time? Could it be possible to have too many choices for hummus? Google Trader Joe’s hummus and 13 different varieties pop up. Everything from Chocolate Hummus to Garlic Hummus to Three-Layer Hummus. This comes to my next question, could there be too many choices for hummus? The choices certainly seem endless, but does that ultimately improve or enhance the user experience when shopping at your local Trader Joe’s?

In many cases, choices are plentiful. Having a choice is what every consumer expects. This includes multiple choices for copy paper for your printer or the type of garbage bag for your trash can. Choices are essential and necessary and part of a capitalistic society. It provides competition, which ultimately leads to better products for the end-user. However, choices also lead to indecision. It has been shown that too many choices can have the opposite effect and lead to indecision, customer confusion, and ultimately a poor user experience.

“The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices available” Hick’s Law

Hick’s Law (or the Hick-Hyman Law) states that the more choices a person is presented with, the longer the person will take to reach a decision. Named after psychologists William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman, Hick’s Law finds frequent application in user experience (UX) design — namely, to avoid overwhelming users with too many choices, thereby keeping them engaged.

User Engagement and Conversion Rates

The most significant UX Design area where Hick’s Law applies is in user engagement and conversion rates. Too many choices can affect whether the user will stay engaged and continue on a particular site. The goal of Hick’s Law is to simplify the decision making process and not eliminate it completely.