“The lesson is simple: human attention has become the sweet crude oil of the twenty-first century. If you can control the levers of human attention, then you can essentially charge whatever you’d like.”

In 2013, the United States government launched a new website designed to help people choose health insurance. The website included price comparisons and features on all local insurance plans. Yet, most people made poor insurance choices on the Web site. The typical person chose a plan that was too expensive for their needs and income.  Another study found that giving consumers more health care options on sites decreased their ability to find the most suitable plan. As a result, 80% of people picked sub-optimally.

Too much digital information creates blind spots

The digital revolution is changing the way we live. We have more choices than ever before and can act on them quickly. Yet, there remain profound challenges. We may have more choices but choose the wrong thing. We have more data but miss the most relevant details. We act fast but often without thinking. However, using the tools and tactics of behavioural science can improve our online behaviour.

The dilemma of digital choices

Screens can be designed using behavioural solutions and practical tools. We can use digital nudges and tailor them for our new online environment. There are numerous differences in offline vs online thinking, which should be reflected in the designs of our screens. Since almost every business is now digital and nearly every consumer is making decisions online, it’s vital that we get these designs right.

Screens can be designed to make us smarter

In the past, we had to work hard to get any information. Now, a vast amount of information is just a click away. However, the knowledge is not always helpful. The abundance can become a burden.  In the sea of information overload, the winners are those who can keep the attention of customers. A good mobile app narrows down the choices to a few good ones and offers a good default selection. The app also helps people narrow down the information into reasonably sized chunks that match their mental and emotional capacity.

Handling the abundance of online information

Research by Psychologist Nelson Cowan shows that people can remember only four pieces of information at any given time. The rest is noise.  Whenever the amount of information we consume exceeds our ability to process it, we stop noticing it.

The mind has limited processing power

We have access to a vast amount of online information, but our brains are not wired to process them effectively. The Smarter Screen advocates for better design that improves our ability to make good decisions.

A leading behavioral economist reveals the tools that will improve our decision making on screens Office workers spend the majority of their waking hours staring at screens. Unfortunately, few of us are aware of the visual biases and behavioral patterns that influence our thinking when we’re on our laptops, iPads, smartphones, or smartwatches. The sheer volume of information and choices available online, combined with the ease of tapping "buy," often make for poor decision making on screens. In The Smarter Screen, behavioral economist Shlomo Benartzi reveals a tool kit of interventions for the digital age. Using engaging reader exercises and provocative case studies, Benartzi shows how digital designs can influence our decision making on screens in all sorts of surprising ways. For example: • You’re more likely to add bacon to your pizza if you order online. • If you read this book on a screen, you’re less likely to remember its content. • You might buy an item just because it’s located in a screen hot spot, even if better options are available. • If you shop using a touch screen, you’ll probably overvalue the product you’re considering. • You’re more likely to remember a factoid like this one if it’s displayed in an ugly, difficult-to-read font. Drawing on the latest research on digital nudging, Benartzi reveals how we can create an online world that helps us think better, not worse.

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A leading behavioral economist reveals the tools that will improve our decision making on screens Office workers spend the majority of their waking hours staring at screens. Unfortunately, few of us are aware of the visual biases and behavioral patterns that influence our thinking when we’re on our laptops, iPads, smartphones, or smartwatches. The sheer volume of information and choices available online, combined with the ease of tapping "buy," often make for poor decision making on screens. In The Smarter Screen, behavioral economist Shlomo Benartzi reveals a tool kit of interventions for the digital age. Using engaging reader exercises and provocative case studies, Benartzi shows how digital designs can influence our decision making on screens in all sorts of surprising ways. For example:  • You’re more likely to add bacon to your pizza if you order online.  • If you read this book on a screen, you’re less likely to remember its content.  • You might buy an item just because it’s located in a screen hot spot, even if better options are available.  • If you shop using a touch screen, you’ll probably overvalue the product you’re considering.  • You’re more likely to remember a factoid like this one if it’s displayed in an ugly, difficult-to-read font.  Drawing on the latest research on digital nudging, Benartzi reveals how we can create an online world that helps us think better, not worse.