Making Choosing Easier

We all want customized experiences and products, but when faced with “700” options, consumers freeze up. With fascinating new research, Sheena Iyengar demonstrates how businesses (and others) can improve the experience of choosing. Identify four of the methodologies Sheena Iyengar suggests as methods of helping us improve our experience in choosing. Discuss the implications of two of these methods in terms of your personal decision-making and then as a member of an organization. Are there other ways can you improve your ability to decide?

Ms. Iyengar provides four methods of making an selection process a much easier experience: cut, concretize, categorize, condition (Iyengar, 2011).  Depending on the original condition, or the number of choices that are offered, application of these four principles may vary depending on various factors. 

In my work situation, two methods would appear to have the most impact on streamlining decision-making situations, concretize and condition: that is to make the choice vivid and condition the decision maker for complexity.

Flight Training is a highly regulated and prescribed activity, so any change or adjustment to established practices must entail very detailed and specific information of such a change is necessary.  What often hinders constructive improvements is the idea of "it's always been done this way with great results" or "why change what we do when our safety record is so good?"  While all of these statements have merit, industry is finding weakness is certain traditional training methods and is in search of more efficient, economic, and effective training methods. 

The benefit of the "vivid" method is to present a future state that has improvement built in and displaying the results.  This may ameliorate general concerns of flight training rigor or skepticism of delivery methods, such as future use of virtual/augmented reality.  Beyond just providing the "art of the possible", the vivid description means a realistic future state whose intrinsic benefits can be seen and understood.  

Condition for complexity is the second method that would seem most beneficial to my work situation.  This state prompts the "offerer" or the seller to take the consumer or customer on a journey of sorts to navigate through the various choices in an detailed but orderly method that provides a tailored or customized experience to meet demand. This application is often used when providing customers a tailored training experience that emphasizes their operational needs.  However, to arrive at this state means that the customer has successfully transmitted their needs to us, and we have navigated through the choices to arrive at a "preferred state" - meaning a satisfied customer.  

I would also posit that this method also will have endless future use in our personal lives, as we are starting the enter the teenage years of our children.  Many complex emotional and physical growing pains are sure to be encountered between children and parents, but understanding that the journey is long but can be simplified will likely make things less daunting.  

The first "condition" I would like to introduce to my kids is to actually not leave their clothes strewn around the house...otherwise there be a "vivid" consequence if there's non-compliance...

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Iyengar, S. (2011, November). How to make choosing easier. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from https://www.ted.com/talks/sheena_iyengar_choosing_what_to_choose#t-916443