Decision Quality Blog

I have a colleague, actually he’s the CMO of our company, who periodically sends me snips from Yankleovich on whatever it is they’re thinking about. A recent blurb about microsites included a research snip on decision making that caught my eye . . .

I always know how to get the information I need to make decisions

• 2002: 61%
• 2006: 76%

I’m overwhelmed by all the sources of information available today

• 2009: 59%
• 2006: 48%

In an ideal world, I wouldn’t have anymore information than what I need

• 2002: 50%
• 2006: 44%

Being able to process new information quickly (rate yourself highly)

• 2006: 48%

Being able to evaluate the trustworthiness of information (rate yourself highly)

• 2006: 44%

The conclusion? There’s tons of data out there but consumers feel more in control. I know as a consumer that I feel pretty confident about my ability to find things on the web and to filter out what’s not useful. I also feel like I’m a pretty good judge of what’s trustworthy . . . with a gigantic caveat or two.

One caveat is the presence of brand. Even if you know little to nothing about cameras, for example, you probably know something about Nikon and Canon, just to pick two. Brand creates a “trust” shorthand that helps us filter though tons of information to get our choices into a manageable realm.

Another caveat is time, as in how much of it you have for a particular decision. For example, over my lifetime I’ve invested a lot of energy in different hobbies. At one point, it was photography. And during those years, I considered myself extremely knowledgeable about everything photo. I feel that way about motorcycles now. Part of the fun of a hobby is spending loads of time trolling for information, reading magazines, buying books, and searching out online forums.

A third caveat is the level of consequences associated with the decision. For example, if I buy a book I hate, I’m not out much money. If I buy a product I don’t like, I can usually return it. You get the idea.

I make all these distinctions in part to draw attention to what we’re trying to do here . . . and we will get it to market soon. It’s helping people with difficult decisions where the normal guideposts aren’t available . . . or as available. The kind where the consequences of getting it wrong are high. The kind where time is really an issue. The kind where brand isn’t helpful (quick, name the top brand in wheel chairs).

kah

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