This document discusses the concept of choice architecture and how understanding context, heuristics, and salience can help designers influence choices in a positive way. It defines choice architecture as designing the context in which people make decisions to encourage better choices. It explains that choices are relative to their context and frames, and that people use heuristics and focus on salient information. The document provides examples of how defaults, social influences, and highlighting contrasts can impact choices. It advocates that designers understand the heuristics and biases that shape decisions in order to present information in a way that helps people choose options that are best for them.

1. Information
and the
Architecture of Choices
Kaila Manca & Jay McCormick

2. 1: A CHOICE IS MADE
Personal Story

6. 2: DEFINITION
What is choice architecture,
and how do I use it?

7. Designing the context in which people
make decisions to encourage better
choices.
Choice Architecture:

10. 3 : FOUNDATION
Context shapes behavior

11. Context & Behavior
CLASSICAL

12. CONTEXT BEHAVIOR

13. People are consistent

16. Context & Behavior
CHOICE ARCHITECTURE

17. CONTEXT BEHAVIOR

18. People are
systematically biased

19. context
Heuristics
Relativity
Salience

20. Relativity

23. 12 % 99 %

24. Relative to the frame

25. 1. Default
2. Free
3. Weak Alternative
4. Social / Individual
Four Frames:

26. DESIGN
How to design, knowing that
choices are relative.

27. If we know that choices are
relative to context, then as a
designer, you set that
context.

30. FREE!

32. User preferences are
variable, the way you
present information (and
when) will have an impact.

33. Identify the challenges and anchors—And
then do what you can to ease them.
Provide other reference points—What else
might they want to know?
Highlight points of contrast—the more
expensive dropbox model is worth it because
_____.
DESIGN
TAKEAWAY

34. Heuristics

35. Heuristics = shortcuts

36. Shortcut to:
easier question

37. What is my evidence?
What is my confidence?

38. Substitution

39. Physics Computer
Science
Law

40. Subconscious
Substitution

41. Actual: Hire the Best Candidate
Heuristic: Hire the Candidate I Like

42. Untested
Substitution

43. Actual: Annual Earning Goal
Heuristic: Daily Earning Goal

44. ● Approximate Shortcut
● An Easier Question
● Substitution
Heuristics:

45. DESIGN
How to understand heuristics
so that we can use them to the
benefit of design.

49. How much?

50. Nutritious
Moderate
Limit
What is
healthy?

51. ● Labels
● Size
● Distance (barrier)
Heuristics in Google’s Cafeteria:

53. Understand heuristics in
decision making, and use
design to make complex
problems more simple.

54. Understand the heuristics people are
using—what “shortcuts” have they taken to reach
this conclusion? Understanding helps us predict their
decisions.
How can I think for my user, so they don’t have
to?—predicting the decisions they are likely to make
allows us to do work to either support or challenge
that decision.
Make it clear [and scannable]—deliver your
solution in as consumable a manner as possible.
DESIGN
TAKEAWAY

55. Salience

56. The pattern that pops out

57. What you see is all there is.
WYSIATI:

58. WYSIATI Pattern

59. Pattern mismatching

62. Get Pizza!

64. Donate Blood!

65. ● Pattern
● WYSIATI & The Coherence Machine
● Mismatching
Salience:

66. DESIGN
Deciding what is salient, and
providing that information to
the user choosing whether or
not (and how) to present that
information.

69. Make the most important
information the salient
information.

70. Facilitate easy comparison & provide other
reference points—what information about this
dictionary should I be evaluating? “The average
number of entries in a dictionary is 1,500.”
Give a sense of control, when possible—even if I
can’t cross the street faster, I want to feel involved in
the process.
Show what is salient (and not more).
Highlight points of contrast—this dictionary has
1000 entries vs. 2000.
DESIGN
TAKEAWAY

71. 4 : PUTTING IT TOGETHER
Where should I take
my time off?

72. ● People’s choices are relative
● People use heuristics to make those choices
● By understanding those heuristics, we can guess at and
influence choice
● Highlighting what is salient helps people make better
choices
Summary:

74. A choice architected design:

76. Set the
context

77. Understand
heuristics
people are
using

78. Provide
other
reference
points

79. Identify the
challenges
and anchors
(staying home is
free, and
Iceland is just
another
alternative)

80. How can I
think for my
user, so they
don’t have
to?

81. 6: Conclusion
From random to designed

82. Choices are
context-driven, not
preference-driven.

83. Design to support what
they should choose
instead of what they could
choose.

84. THANK YOU!
jaymccormi@gmail.com | kaila.manca@gmail.com