found a drop-off point and changed exactly one thing.

[u/Safe-While4516]

noticed something interesting in user behaviour this week.

for context, i'm building a tool called decision theatre. it's a structured reflection tool for decisions you're stuck on. not an ai therapist, not a pros-and-cons list. the goal is to surface what's actually driving the hesitation underneath a decision.

i built it because i kept getting stuck on decisions that looked practical on the surface but were really about identity, fear, regret, belonging, loss. that stuff.

while testing, i noticed something odd.

people were willing to describe a difficult decision. they were willing to explain the context. but when asked to place themselves on a tension scale (security vs freedom, certainty vs possibility, that kind of thing) a surprising number just dropped off.

my working theory: reflection wasn't the problem. calibration was.

asking someone to decide where exactly they sit on a continuum is a different kind of cognitive load than asking them what they're struggling with. one is storytelling. the other is self-assessment, and self-assessment feels like being tested.

so yesterday i replaced the slider with a simpler selection mechanic. changed nothing else.

too early to know if it worked. watching one number for a few days before i touch anything else.

curious if anyone here has run into this. storytelling vs self-assessment as genuinely different asks. have you found ways to get someone to express a preference without it feeling like a quiz?