Uriel Maslansky is the CEO and Co-Founder of Atly.
Our lives are a collection of endless choices: The average American adult makes 35,000 decisions every day.
But the sheer volume of options in our modern world—especially in digital spheres such as online shopping, streaming services and mobile applications—can overcome the satisfaction of making these choices. Users often dread the task of sorting through pages of results, lists of cool destinations or dozens of competing answers with every online search.
Decision fatigue, the deterioration of decision-making abilities after a prolonged period of making choices, posits that the more decisions one must make, the lower the quality of those decisions becomes. This phenomenon led figures like CEOs Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs and late filmmaker David Lynch to wear the same outfit or eat the same meal every day to reduce decision fatigue and free up mental capacity for more important decisions.
Instead, today’s consumers crave the simplicity of a streamlined choice experience—one that uses the plethora of information out there to minimize cognitive friction and make the decision process easier rather than harder.
The Demand For Simplicity
A well-known 2000 study on choice paralysis found that when grocery shoppers were presented with 24 jam options, they were less likely to purchase when presented with only six options.
This study proved that too many choices can reduce overall purchases and that brands with strong products or savvy marketing can still capture more attention. Many brands have taken note, paring down their offerings accordingly and replacing an endless menu of options with recommendations that are personalized, relevant and easy to act on.
That’s exactly why streaming services like Netflix and Spotify invest so heavily in recommendation algorithms—to reduce choice fatigue and help users quickly find content they will enjoy. E-commerce platforms like Amazon similarly prioritize “Best Sellers” and “Recommended for You” sections to guide purchasing decisions without overwhelming customers. Users still have autonomy, but the list of choices is shorter and, importantly, more personally curated.
While some companies still thrive on the strategy of forced indecision—betting that decision fatigue will lead consumers to make impulsive, less rational purchases—others have found success with the opposite approach. Trader Joe’s, for example, operates on a sales strategy based on consumer trust. Their limited, proprietary options suggest: “trust us—we have the right version of everything you need.” Given Trader Joe’s enormous popularity, it’s clear that this strategy of fewer but higher-quality choices resonates with their customers.
How Technology Can Reduce Decision Fatigue
The tech world’s platform of choice used to be dashboards, which present vast amounts of data at once—exciting users about the possibility of knowing everything there is to know.
Now, the tide has changed.
Consider the differences between YouTube and TikTok. YouTube presents users with a selection of six to eight videos upon page load, allowing them to choose their next watch. TikTok, however, eliminates choice almost entirely, instead just giving users something to watch. Watching or liking signals approval, while swiping too quickly signals disinterest, allowing the algorithm to update accordingly.
TikTok’s explosive popularity indicates consumers’ rapid shift toward a “just tell me” model, where platforms deliver exactly what users want—sometimes before they even know they want it. Google and ChatGPT offer a similar comparison. The former presents a wide range of options organized around relevance, while the latter delivers a single “confident” response—even when multiple alternatives exist.
Technology such as AI and machine learning have made curation a commodity, filtering out the noise to present users with bespoke choices that align with their preferences, helping individuals make better, more tailored, faster decisions. This is in part due to AI’s ability to quickly assess vast amounts of information and determine which information is more relevant.
Balancing Choice And Guidance
While reducing decision fatigue is important, it shouldn’t come at the expense of a sense of control and agency over one’s choices.
Transparency in recommendation algorithms is, therefore, key—users should understand why certain options are being presented and have the ability to refine or customize their preferences. Companies that prioritize intuitive design, streamlined user experiences and AI-driven personalization will be best positioned to walk the fine line between helpful curation and invasive limitation.
Our Choices Define Us
In a world often overwhelmed with information, less is more. People no longer want all options—they want the right ones.
Decision fatigue will remain a challenge as new options continue to arise. But solving it is also an opportunity for companies to differentiate themselves with simpler and much smarter experiences. Indeed, the businesses that thrive in the digital age are those that leverage technology such as AI to meet consumers’ expectations for less friction, better decision-making and more personalization in an increasingly cluttered world.
Forbes Technology Council is an invitation-only community for world-class CIOs, CTOs and technology executives. Do I qualify?
