"Burden of Choice" came to be after years of experiencing overwhelming and confusing emotions that crept in whenever decisions needed to be made. These sensations made a fierce comeback in my last semester of my bachelor's degree, as I brainstormed ideas for my thesis project. With a seemingly never-ending list of topics to explore, I found myself wandering in constant confusion, unsure which choice to pursue.

So what is "choice overload?" Just as the name suggests, it is a term that characterizes a phenomenon that, when faced with an excessive number of options, leads to a state of feeling overwhelmed or "overloaded." Although the common assumption should be that a greater array of choices translates into a more favorable scenario, reality presents a different story. This kind of overload state tends to yield unfavorable outcomes, leading people to be incapable of making any selection and causing negative effects on mental well-being. These effects can include heightened levels of anxiety and, in some instances, an increased vulnerability to depression.

A fusion of duotone colors with a solid-colored background and subtle textured noise, helped create a space where I could deconstruct and reconstruct shapes, experimenting with various arrangements and narratives.

The soundtracks for each animation help forge immersive scenes, by employing unconventional sounds such as elevator noises, door creaks, mouse clicks, duct tape, and more.

When I thought of "overwhelmingness" one of the first things that popped into my head was shelves from large public libraries, grocery store shelves, and the old CD disk racks that we all used to have in our homes. This visual reference helped me design a grid system of "informational units," while categorizing them using the system of colors and shapes I had designed.

When the concept of "overwhelmingness" crossed my mind, my initial visual snapshots were of the expansive shelves found in libraries, the rows of grocery store shelves, and vintage CD disk racks that were once commonplace in our homes. Drawing inspiration from these visuals, I devised a grid-based system of "informational units," each containing its own world of information. I then incorporated the visual language I had crafted to categorize these units effectively.

In order to build "Burden of Choice" I chose to work with Webflow as my platform of choice. My workflow consisted of Figma-to-Webflow, building everything as Webflow-native components and then exporting assets into Webflow.

To bring "Burden of Choice" to life, I chose to work with Webflow as my go-to platform. I followed a Figma-to-Webflow path, constructing everything from the base as native Webflow components and then seamlessly incorporating assets into the platform. I enhanced and refined aspects with customized code, while utilizing animations to make the website interactive and engaging.

The overall grid and units arrangement underwent significant transformation throughout the entire process, initially adopting a more spacious and square arrangement before transitioning into a denser, rectangular format. This layout posed technical challenges, as it required crafting a distinctive interaction while ensuring seamless functionality across different devices.

The logo integrates the assortment of shapes prevalent in the brand's visual language. It has a dynamic nature and exists in two versions:
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1) a static logo featuring a single solitary shape
2) an animated logo that unveils multiple concealed shapes when hovered upon.

The depiction of a half-half circle used as the main logo is a deliberate choice, capturing the sensation of being torn between options and visually mirroring the "split" sentiment we often encounter during decision-making.

This project holds a personal significance to me; "Burden of Choice" originated from my own curiosity and grew into something much larger, something that I could share with the world. Presenting "Burden of Choice," whether through exhibitions, social media platforms, or its online presence, offered me the chance to witness people's reactions upon learning about this concept. Observing an audience relate to something I initially considered uniquely personal only to me was truly touching and rewarding.

My overall hope for this project is its enduring longevity, with a goal to continuously reach a wider audience in the years ahead. I wish for it to continue to educate and foster connections, helping others gain a more profound understanding of their own experiences or to relate to the experiences of their friends and family members.