How to design interfaces for choice Hick-Hyman law and classificationLuca Rosati ⋅ @lucarosati

I want a pair of jeans,

32-28.Do you want them

slim fit, easy fit, relaxed fit, baggy, or extra baggy?

Stonewashed, acid-washed, or distressed? Bottom-fly or

zipper-fly? Faded or regular?

Hick-Hyman law

N. of options

Tim

e T = a + b log2 (n + 1)

linear

sub-linear

“La fuga” by Donnafugata!

A great red for a green pepper

fillet.

I choose 1 time from a 8 items menu:

a + b log2 8 = a + 3b

I choose 2 times from a 4 items menu:

2(a + b log2 4) = 2a + 4b

a + 3b < 2a + 4b

In other words...information overload & paradox of choice

are more a quality issue (how options

are presented) than a quantity issue (n. of information)

Hick-Hyman law and classification

The sequence of the classes in an array should be helpful to the purpose of those for whom it is intended– Ranganathan

Strategies to reduce the paradox of choice

1. Split

2. Customize

3. Info scent

Let’s recap

the paradox of choice is linked to the

consistency issue of a classification

wide structures work better than deep ones – but if and only if consistency is on

otherwise split, customize or provide information scent

This work is the prosecution of a research conducted with Andrea Resmini, published in some papers and merged in the book Pervasive Information Architecture.

Credits

How to design interfaces for choice Hick-Hyman law and classificationLuca Rosati ⋅ @lucarosati