The Freedom of Fewer Choices
Whether it’s Netflix or Tinder, we are a generation paralyzed by the overabundance of choice. There is a common thread among my favorite products; they allow me to make fewer decisions everyday.
As a business designer, the first phase of most projects is designing a new value proposition, so it’s something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I’d love to see more value propositions centered around relieving the pain of decision-making. The most undervalued value proposition right now is one that allows for less decision-making while providing equal or better outcomes. We are all flooded with too much information, and too many notifications, alerts, and reminders everyday. If a company can release me from considering all the options, remove unnecessary decision-making from my plate, and leave me satisfied with the outcome, I will happily commit. Here are some of my favorite companies providing fewer choices in media, food, and finance. What other industries could cut some decision making out of our lives?
1. The Daily from The New York Times
The first five years of my working life were spent in media, which meant I was expected to have a general knowledge of what was going on in the world at all times. I had a list of sites to check either daily, such as The New York Times, New York Magazine, and Gawker (RIP), or weekly, such as The New Yorker and The Atlantic.
Now, I rarely visit those sites during the week, because I have The Daily. Each morning, I spend my thirty minute walk to work listening to that day’s episode. I love The Daily’s format because I don’t have to choose which story to listen do. They do a deep dive on one story, and then cover anything else you need to know to start the day. I no longer have to decide which articles to click on, which to actually read, and which to skim. Most of my friends are sick of hearing me talk about just how much I love this podcast, but the ones who have tried it out all agree.
2. Blue Apron
I was a vegetarian for ten years, and during that time, my favorite part was the freedom from menu options. At a restaurant, there were usually less than three things I could eat, so I didn’t have to read the majority of the menu. From those three things, it was usually clear which I’d prefer, so I didn’t have to regret my choice.
I hate opening a menu now and seeing ten viable options. But on the nights when I’m not eating out, Blue Apron releases me from the tyranny of choice. They automatically send me two recipes a week based on preset preferences. During the week, I don’t have to decide where to shop or what to make, and even better, I don’t even have the option of going out, because the food is already waiting at home in my fridge.
3. Betterment
Decisions around which news or food to consume directly impact my day-to-day life, but there are other decisions I have to make daily that won’t impact me until much later in life. Those decisions are often the hardest, and most important decisions to make. Betterment provides the type of forced commitment I am looking for, with fewer choices and better outcomes.
I spent less than ten minute setting up my account, filling out a questionnaire on risk preferences, and linking my 401k and Roth IRA. From there, I chose to have money automatically drawn from my bank once a month and invested in an index fund from Vanguard. I love this for two reasons: I don’t get to see the money in my own checking account so I don’t miss it, and I don’t have to choose how much money I should save each month and where to invest it. It’s all taken care of.
