Should I Stay or Should I Go?

RWTH online tool assists with decision-making.

 

Many people have difficulties making decisions. The new online tool Entscheidungsnavi – Decision Navigator – can assist with making important professional and personal decisions. It was developed by a team around Professor Rüdiger von Nitzsch from the Decision Research and Financial Services Group at RWTH Aachen University and can be used free of charge.

As von Nitzsch explains, “Instructions on how to reflect your own values and goals, as far as they are relevant to the upcoming decision, form an integral part of the tool. Furthermore, the app encourages reflection on whether there are other alternatives for action in the current decision situation.”

The tool takes into account certain pitfalls which are well known from decision science research. Too often they lead people astray when it comes to identifying the best decision given their personal goals and values. Many people have problems when it comes to assessing probabilities, for example, while others tend to overestimate their own abilities.

Using the tool, at best, the user arrives at a decision they feel certain about. If this is not the case, systematic reflection has made the user realize what is important to them when making the decision, and on what aspects the decision should be based.

Students Can Use the App to Plan their Studies

The idea of the Decision Navigator originated in the context of a lecture on decision science, which is attended by more than 1,000 business administration and engineering students each semester. During their studies, students have to make several important decisions: What electives should I choose? Should I take a study abroad year? Obtain an internship or volunteer position? Feedback from students using the app to get support with such decisions will be used to further develop the tool.

Furthermore, the app can be used by companies, which make decisions on strategic goals or budget allocations, for example. Currently research is ongoing on how to best “prepare” the app for such decisions.

Source: Press and Communications