Cognitive Load & Hick's Law

Summary

Cognitive load is the mental effort required to use an interface; Hick's Law states that decision time increases with the number and complexity of choices — both argue for simplifying and reducing options where possible.

• 1Audit a screen with too many simultaneous choices and propose a way to reduce them.
• 2Learn why Hick's Law is a strong argument for progressive disclosure (Phase 4).
• 3Practice estimating relative cognitive load between 2 different design approaches to the same problem.