No, really, which one?

 

I was chatting away with SavageSays the other day. He had made a (fairly rare) foray to Waitrose to do some grocery shopping. “I didn’t know which Flora to buy” – he said – “I used to buy just plain Flora because I thought it was healthy but now they have loads of them. What’s omega anyway?”

As one of my participants once said, “Choice is a terrible thing!” That remains one of my favourite user quotes and many more, before and since, have relayed a similar sentiment. We all want choice, we have been convinced it is a good thing and so we demand it. Being presented with it is a whole different kettle of fish. Savage Says had already pre-chosen the brand, and the fact that he wanted a tub of marge, and he still ended up having to do some choosing without being aware of the benefits each option would produce.

Your customers all want choice but all need help making a decision. Why is that model better than the other? No, not what the feature is called but what the benefit is. What will I get if I chose that one? What will I lose if I don’t? This one seems more expensive and yet the features list is the same length as the cheaper one. Do I really need that much broadband? Are you saying that this tub of margarine is bad for me now?

SavageSays, in case you are curious, “went for the original Flora”.

Personally, I prefer butter.