Why Showing Too Much Information Hurts Users and How to Design Better Interfaces

Don’t Show All Information at Once; Reveal Only What’s Needed in the Current Context

Designers often make the mistake of presenting a large amount of information to users all at once.

Instead, provide only the necessary information for the current scenario to satisfy immediate needs.

High‑end users may not need guidance, while low‑end users may require detailed explanations.

What does this mean?

Gradually reveal information rather than displaying everything at once.

The number of clicks isn’t the goal; each click should deliver essential information, making the interaction enjoyable.

Understand who the user is, when they need it, and what they need.

If you can’t accurately grasp the needs at each stage, this approach won’t work.

How is this reflected in design?

When more than three or four pieces of information are required, first present categories of information, then let users drill down.

For example, the AU website uses a popular downward‑expanding menu.

http://www.au.kddi.com/

Too Many Choices Paralyze Decision‑Making

There is an experiment known as the “Jam” test.

The experiment confirmed that “when people have too many options, they end up choosing nothing.”

In a supermarket, a display was set up with jam samples. In the first half of the test, six types of jam were offered; in the second half, twenty‑four types were offered.

What were the results?

With 24 jam varieties, 60% of customers stopped to try some, but the purchase conversion was only 3%.

With 6 jam varieties, 40% stopped, yet the purchase conversion rose to 31%.

What does this tell us?

Multiple options excite the brain, causing people to linger and look.

When options are abundant, users only sample a few.

When options are few, users tend to try them all, which can be leveraged to guide purchases.

How is this reflected in design?

If you design strictly according to every customer’s demand, you would end up with a massive amount of menus, banners, and recommendation pages.

Remember: “When people have too many options, they end up choosing nothing. The hassle appears even before they start choosing.”

Below is a website where recommended products are carefully selected before being displayed.

http://www.momastore.jp/?shopcd=11111&utm_source=google&utm_medium=ppc&utm_campaign=brand&utm_content=ppc_ad_0001_29

When asked what options users want, they often answer “everything” or “a lot.” Try refusing such vague requests.

Fewer options spark a desire to carefully select, while too many options lead users to sample only a few.

Human Faces Capture the Most Attention

The human brain has a dedicated region for recognizing faces.

What does this mean?

Faces are the most eye‑catching elements on a webpage.

Faces guide visual attention.

Users strongly prefer being able to view a portrait within a single screen.

How is this reflected in design?

Using photos to attract the first glance is highly effective.

http://okasan.saiyo.jp/new_graduate/

When you want to draw attention to banners or similar areas, a human face works very well.

http://liginc.co.jp/

People Judge Trustworthiness Primarily by Appearance and Feel

Elizabeth Siren’s research team found in tests of health‑related websites that:

83% of participants said a lack of trust was due to design issues.

74% said design and content were decisive factors for a trustworthy site.

Psychology Applied to the Web

To avoid a first‑impression of “untrustworthy,” elements such as color, typography, layout, and navigation must be carefully designed.