The tao of choice

Gary Bolles at Conferenza posts about Barry Schwartz's notion that choice is paradoxical. Schwartz says people may "want capability, but they prefer usability." Too many choices, too much capability, and people may refuse to choose. Fewer options make for easier decision making - and a little less cognitive dissonance. Key quote from the Conferenza post:

More choice may let people do better, Schwartz says, but they will often feel worse.

Thus, the default choice will increasingly become more important in a time when products and services can almost always be customized. According to Bolles, Barry Schwartz is also the author of a Harvard Business Review study called Capability v. Usability, which I really must get my hands on.

Wayne