Making choices about consumer products and services, especially complex ones, can be bewildering. How many times have you stood in front of the cough-and-cold aisle in the supermarket trying to decide if you need a decongestant or an antihistamine? daytime or nighttime relief? A softgel, tablet or caplet? It is often much simpler to find the problem than to identify the solution. A recent study by the National Council on Patient Information and Education showed only 34% of consumers could identify the active ingredient in their pain reliever.

The stakes are higher when the product is for your child. By the time you reach health insurance for your family or a surgeon for a loved one, many consumers can be paralyzed by the choice they have to make and overwhelmed by the amount of information they have to wade through to make it.

What can companies do to help make decisions about complex consumer products easier?

There are a number of proven ways to deliver information that can help people navigate complex choices. But it requires a dedication to understanding your consumer and a willingness to change the way you communicate.

Download Clearing up the Big Muddy and learn how you can help consumers navigate their options.