Information overload

When too much information is presented and it is hard to understand, information overload (also called cognitive overload) occurs. People don’t process information when there is too much of it or it is confusing.

Applications

A woman wants to delay her next pregnancy. But for some methods she’s given information about risks and for others she’s given information about side effects. It is difficult for her to compare and decide, so she doesn’t choose a method.

A program manager wants to improve their project and they find hundreds of articles about interventions. The amount of information makes it difficult to figure out how to update their project.

What it is not:

Giving information at a time when someone can’t act on it is the time-action gap.