Choice overload

선택 과부하

Too many unclear options can make a decision harder to complete.

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html
<div class="choices"><div class="top"><b>COMPARE OPTIONS</b><button id="toggle">SHOW 12</button></div><div class="grid" id="grid"></div><div class="bottom">COMPARISONS <strong id="pairs">6</strong> POSSIBLE PAIRS</div></div>
css
@media(min-width:700px){body>div{transform:scale(1.45)}}.choices{width:min(88%,560px);font:800 clamp(10px,max(1.8vmin,1vw),13px)/1.1 sans-serif}.top,.bottom{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;gap:6px}.top button{background:var(--accent);color:white;border:0;padding:clamp(5px,1.5vmin,10px);font:800 clamp(10px,max(1.6vmin,1vw),12px) sans-serif;cursor:pointer}.grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(6,1fr);gap:clamp(4px,1.3vmin,10px);margin:clamp(10px,3vmin,22px) 0}.grid i{height:clamp(30px,9vmin,63px);background:var(--surface);border:2px solid var(--line);box-shadow:2px 2px 0 var(--accent);animation:arrive .3s backwards}.grid i:nth-child(3n){background:var(--accent-2)}.bottom{border-top:2px solid var(--fg);padding-top:7px;color:var(--muted)}.bottom strong{color:var(--accent);font-size:clamp(13px,3vmin,22px)}@keyframes arrive{from{opacity:0;transform:translateY(8px)}to{opacity:1;transform:none}}
js
const grid=document.querySelector('#grid');const pairs=document.querySelector('#pairs');const button=document.querySelector('#toggle');let count=4;function render(){grid.innerHTML=Array.from({length:count},()=>'<i></i>').join('');pairs.textContent=String(count*(count-1)/2);button.textContent=count===4?'SHOW 12':'SHOW 4'}let manual=false;render();setTimeout(()=>{if(!manual){count=12;render()}},550);const timer=setInterval(()=>{count=count===4?12:4;render()},2500);button.addEventListener('click',()=>{manual=true;clearInterval(timer);count=count===4?12:4;render()});

Choice overload describes the difficulty of comparing an unwieldy set of options. Fewer choices are not always better; the clarity of their differences also matters.

The demo switches between four and twelve cards to show the growth in comparison work. It does not invent a measured decision time or abandonment rate.

Instead of hiding options indiscriminately, group by use case and offer useful filters and comparisons. Validate the structure against real customer tasks.

When to use

Use it to structure the first decision in a catalog or plan selector.

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