Thesis: Presenting Decisions in Broad Choice Brackets Leads to Better Long-term Decision Making
I designed and conducted a series of experiments to show the effects of presenting temptations in different choice brackets with implications to UX.
Project Date
August - May 2017
Organization
Duke University
For my senior thesis at Duke, I conducted a series of 2 experiments that would provide findings to help inform choice architecture in UX design. Can displaying decisions in broad choice brackets help people make better long-term decisions? I hypothesized that presenting choices in a broad bracket as opposed to a narrow bracket will induce people to choose more utilitarian as opposed to hedonic consumer decisions.
The Short Answer
People make better long-term decisions when choices are presented in broad brackets—however, this is only true for the weekdays. (broad: showing all the days at once vs. narrow: showing one day at a time)