Comments on: Paradox of Choice Paradox http://www.mckeeth.org/2006/11/230/ Jim McKeeth's blog about everything else Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:33:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: Jim http://www.mckeeth.org/2006/11/230/comment-page-1/#comment-4745 Jim Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:26:31 +0000 http://www.mckeeth.org/2006/11/230/#comment-4745 I agree that is a quandary Glenn. I think you are on the right track and I wish you luck in offering just enough choices in just the right way. I agree that is a quandary Glenn. I think you are on the right track and I wish you luck in offering just enough choices in just the right way.

]]> By: Glenn Fleishman http://www.mckeeth.org/2006/11/230/comment-page-1/#comment-4744 Glenn Fleishman Tue, 28 Nov 2006 07:08:53 +0000 http://www.mckeeth.org/2006/11/230/#comment-4744 You bring up a great point about my site, isbn.nu, which Joel links to. I have wrestled over the years with how to avoid a state of overchoice while still providing people with the selections that represent expectations. Perhaps ironically, isbn.nu's approach was developed in reaction to earlier book-comparison sites that showed sometimes hundreds of prices, displaying every book price and shipping combination! I have been working assiduously (with the help of another programmer) on the guts of isbn.nu to provide a new interface in which I hope to solve some overchoice. Casual and first-time users might be presented with the three best prices and click to find others. Regular users could choose their favorite stores to show up with prices, while the best prices below those stores (if any) were indicated for comparison. Other ideas are welcome, too. Because so many people shop at just a handful of the options I present, this means I should restrict what I display. But even the worst-performing store that I show result from can generate $100s in affiliate revenue per year, it's difficult for me to turn to reduce choice in order to better returns. I will have to test this, of course, to see if one follows from the other or not. You bring up a great point about my site, isbn.nu, which Joel links to. I have wrestled over the years with how to avoid a state of overchoice while still providing people with the selections that represent expectations. Perhaps ironically, isbn.nu’s approach was developed in reaction to earlier book-comparison sites that showed sometimes hundreds of prices, displaying every book price and shipping combination!

I have been working assiduously (with the help of another programmer) on the guts of isbn.nu to provide a new interface in which I hope to solve some overchoice. Casual and first-time users might be presented with the three best prices and click to find others. Regular users could choose their favorite stores to show up with prices, while the best prices below those stores (if any) were indicated for comparison.

Other ideas are welcome, too. Because so many people shop at just a handful of the options I present, this means I should restrict what I display. But even the worst-performing store that I show result from can generate $100s in affiliate revenue per year, it’s difficult for me to turn to reduce choice in order to better returns. I will have to test this, of course, to see if one follows from the other or not.

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