010Effect
Decision Fatigue
People find it harder to make rational decisions, as the total number of decisions that they've made increases.
Why it matters
After a whole day of making hard decisions at work, you may find it hard to decide what to eat for dinner (comparatively simple).
Conversion rates:
• The increasing difficulty of answering questions may lead people to avoid making them . This may manifest as churn .
What to inspect
- Check whether the experience reflects this: The increasing difficulty of answering questions may lead people to avoid making them . This may manifest as churn .
- Map each visible element to how it supports or undermines: People find it harder to make rational decisions, as the total number of decisions that they've made increases.
- Walk the primary task once with time pressure; note where attention drops.
- Ask a colleague unfamiliar with the product to paraphrase the screen in one sentence.
Common anti-patterns
- Assuming users consciously notice every place where "People find it harder to make rational decisions, as the total number of decisions that they've made increases" could apply.
- Dense copy and parallel actions that increase mental effort unrelated to the user’s goal.
- Ignoring downstream effects on conversion rates when shipping this pattern.
Critique prompts
- The increasing difficulty of answering questions may lead people to avoid making them . This may manifest as churn .
- Where on this screen would "Decision Fatigue" show up as friction or misunderstanding?
- What would a first-time user misunderstand here in under five seconds?