An in-depth review
All reviews represent the opinion of DSinclairWriting and are not sponsored; there are no affiliate links on this page.
Overall Score: 8/10
Key Takeaways
Quick Review:
When my wife recommended this book, I was hesitant at first. Why would I read something not related to my DEIJ work? But here’s why it was a solid 8 out of 10.
The Choice Factory is a book I recommend as part of the need for experts in the modern day to explore beyond their strict specialisms. Based on the world of behavioural biases, The Choice Factory adds a new depth of consideration to the work of leaders and DEIJ advocates, leading to greater success.
| Readability | 7/10 |
| DEIJ awareness | 4/10 |
| Applicability | 7.5/10 |
| Classroom use | 8/10 |
| Reading Speed | Quick + Referencing |
| Reading order | Beginning to end |
| Uniqueness | Curation of themed concepts in an accessible format |
The Choice Factory looks at behavioural biases through a marketing-oriented perspective. This approach is both refreshing and revealing, supporting a movement away from the, at times, too emotive focus of leadership and DEIJ work.
We all engage with decisions and influence people’s choices, whether as leaders, consultants, friends, or sharing online, so we should develop our understanding of how these choices are made. This book is a wonderful entry point, easy to read and apply. The insights gained from The Choice Factory are well-packaged for those who are not attempting to become a marketing expert but need to be above the average for their success. This includes business leaders who want to improve engagement with strategies and approaches and DEIJ consultants who may be trapped in their work’s ‘moral imperative’ as an incentive for engagement without considering behavioural science.
The Choice Factory takes a high-speed and functional approach to behavioural biases. It is very easy to use the book as a quick reference to help support planning and strategising for activities you are taking. Today, each time I do outreach work or prepare a CPD session for a school, I consider how this initiative will be advertised, the options and context, and even the minutiae of the colours and styles used.
Yet, as with many books of this nature and with this level of success, the focus is corporate. The Choice Factory focuses on large-scale examples with incredibly popular products and well-used services. Engaging critically to apply the concepts within more niche settings, such as specific forms of consultancy, educational leadership, or more community-focused intentions, can be challenging. Yet, the biases that are explored are well-contextualised and presented simply enough that The Choice Factory provides a healthy jump-off for exploring more specifically within your specific context.
Richard Shotton provides a simple application of behaviour bias research that is easy to digest and take action from. Through a conversational style of writing, the book reads like an informal conversation with an expert. This is helpful but only gives the briefest glimpse at the true complexity of some of the content.
The Choice Factory provides a clear ‘How to apply this effect’ section for each bias that is explored. The writing presents itself as an authority, advising considered application but not providing clear guidance on how to engage with that consideration. This is a critical step for anyone reading the book who is involved in smaller-scale, community-focused work. Yet, the insights learned from the book greatly support a more comprehensive and strategic engagement with endeavours, from introducing new initiatives to a staff body or community, to self-promotion online.
The Choice Factory is not unique in its information but is well-positioned as a curated presentation. Readers familiar with this genre will find familiarity with the key concepts and may enjoy this as a useful reference book.
Detailed review:
Readability – 7/10
The printed book is well-spaced, though in a small font for the body text. The writing style does not demand much highlighting or notetaking, but large-print or digital versions may be a good idea for anyone with trouble with smaller print. The language is generally conversational but does assume knowledge of prominent companies and acronyms which are not always contextualised in enough detail for unfamiliar readers to understand the importance of their mention. Though the book is well-structured, in the second half, many of the biases flow into one another, with multiple chapters ending with phrases such as ‘In the next chapter, I’ll discuss this problem and what you can do to avoid it…’. Restructuring would make each chapter more useful in isolation; I recommend that note-takers organise their notes differently to the structure of the chapters.
DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice) awareness – 4/10
Richard Shotton approaches the biases through a central narrative of a proverbial ‘Joe Bloggs’ going through their day and making various decisions. This entry point is accessible but centres on a white male experience, which may not be accessible to all readers nor a central consideration in how they would like to apply their learning from the book.
Unfortunately, the majority of research referred to in the book also falls victim to this. The underrepresentation of minorities in clinical trials and market research is widely known within the US context before considering how little research is done outside of Europe, North America and specific countries within Asia. Yet this reality is never acknowledged in the book. As such, minoritised readers and those seeking to apply their insights to more diverse or specific communities will need to be particularly flexible in their interpretation of the key points of the book. For people such as myself, who are working with smaller and diverse groups, it is important to read the book as a learning point, not an absolute manual.
Released in 2018, it is a sincere hope that revisits to this book will include more acknowledgement of the limitations of the findings.
Despite this, The Choice Factory still has value for minoritised individuals and more diverse contexts, and awareness of this will help you apply these considerations when reading the book.
Applicability: Work – 7/10
There is a mixture of incredibly applicable concepts, such as the ‘Pain of payment’, alongside the more tenuous ones, such as the Pratfall effect and ‘Veblen goods’. The context of the market, industries, and contexts in which you want to apply the ideas directly inform their applicability. In general, The Choice Factory has a clear focus on application, and where it is a useful bias to consider within your context, the guidance is straightforward, perhaps even too simplified at times.
Applicability: Life – 8/10
This is a lovely book to reflect on as a point for our navigation of advertising and decision-making. When you next make a purchase or make a decision, briefly considering how and when you made the decision, where you received the information, and a wealth of other biases can help you scrutinise and, at times, make decisions which are better for you rather than the seller. This makes the book both an interesting read which makes you feel like a more savvy consumer, but can lead to great talking points and considerations..
Classroom use – 8/10
Though this book has no direct consideration of education, the biases that The Choice Factory engages with can be applied easily to teaching and school leadership. Having a considered strategy towards the presentation of options and changes will support their reception and the overall engagement that the class or faculty will have with them. Looking at choice through a lens which is not strictly pedagogical has great value and can refresh approaches within an educational setting.
Reading Speed – Moderate to fast with no notetaking needed
Though I am a strong proponent of note-taking, this book is far more of a reference book and jump-off than one which demands detailed note-taking. A chapter can be completed in less than 10 minutes; completing the whole text might take a week. The real time comes in referring to the book over the period of time it takes to internalise the understanding that you have gained.
Reading order – Beginning to end
I strongly recommend an initial beginning-to-end read. This is, in part, a fault of the structure of the book whereby some biases are incomplete without reading the chapter that immediately follows. Beyond the first read, though, this is most certainly a reference book where you will engage with individual chapters.
Uniqueness – Curation of themed concepts in an accessible format
The Choice Factory is an accessible curation of key behavioural biases that relate to decision-making. The 25 biases explored likely could have been 15 or 20, but the exploration of the book supports a starting point for beginners and non-specialists to apply important considerations to their work and their lives. I thoroughly recommend this book and the insights and improved application of information sharing strategies that can come from it.
