Delegated Decisions

Before users skip importing existing settings, you could remind them of the effort they'd face without it, so a delegated setup choice isn't made short-sightedly.

Split UI with black left panel titled "Get us up to speed" and a blue "Next" button; right panel with radio buttons for Edge, Safari, or manual password entry choices.

Example from

Arc

Where you must delegate a subjective rating, try anchoring each option to something obvious, e.g., whether you could still talk, so users understand what they're choosing.

Black UI panels show exercise intensity levels 1, 7, and 9 with white bold numbers and labels; underlined orange text emphasizes "walking slowly," "hard to talk," and "no talking."

Example from

You could group irreversible actions into a clearly marked danger zone, so delegated decisions that might lose data aren't buried among everyday settings.

Settings menu with sections listed left. Export data box with "Create new export" button top right. Danger Zone outlined red includes red "Delete" buttons for deleting post archive, changing subdomain, or deleting publication.

Example from

Substack

Possible impacts

Delegating setup decisions to new users could increase churn, as they may lack the motivation to build an effective tool, or tire of constant major choices.

As seen in:

Tiimo Helping you rearrange your day

Each delegated decision could add complexity and reduce understanding, as users may not grasp the trade-offs or consequences of the choices they're asked to make.

As seen in:

Nike The anatomy of a shoe

Arc Leveraging loss aversion

Delegated decisions made early could decrease feature usage, by hiding features users would have valued but didn't understand when they made the choice.

As seen in:

Transit Showing travel options in a timeline

Users left to configure things themselves may build weaker setups, which could lower their perception of value compared with an optimised default.

As seen in:

Google Google Docs removing an unnecessary decision

Replacing delegated decisions with sensible defaults could improve productivity and efficiency, as users skip unnecessary choices and start from an optimised setup.

As seen in:

Delegating significant, hard-to-reverse decisions might increase anxiety, as users worry about choosing wrong, and some may leave to avoid that feeling.

As seen in:

Substack Substack's danger zone

Written by Peter Ramsey

Consultant to 100+ companies

Published: 25/10/2023

How to utilise this in your designs

Rather than delegating a naming decision, you could pre-fill the title from the first line of text and highlight it, so users can replace it in one keystroke.

Example from

Google

When users make a major change during customisation, you could show context about what that change actually means, so delegated decisions come with a clear trade-off.

Example from

Before users skip importing existing settings, you could remind them of the effort they'd face without it, so a delegated setup choice isn't made short-sightedly.

Example from

Arc

Where you must delegate a subjective rating, try anchoring each option to something obvious, e.g., whether you could still talk, so users understand what they're choosing.

Example from

You could group irreversible actions into a clearly marked danger zone, so delegated decisions that might lose data aren't buried among everyday settings.

Example from

Substack

Possible impacts

Delegating setup decisions to new users could increase churn, as they may lack the motivation to build an effective tool, or tire of constant major choices.

As seen in:

Tiimo Helping you rearrange your day

Each delegated decision could add complexity and reduce understanding, as users may not grasp the trade-offs or consequences of the choices they're asked to make.

As seen in:

Nike The anatomy of a shoe

Arc Leveraging loss aversion

Delegated decisions made early could decrease feature usage, by hiding features users would have valued but didn't understand when they made the choice.

As seen in:

Transit Showing travel options in a timeline

Users left to configure things themselves may build weaker setups, which could lower their perception of value compared with an optimised default.

As seen in: