Minimizing Cognitive Load

In UX design, cognitive load is the mental effort needed to use an interface. It's about how much "brain power" is required to manage tasks such as navigating a website, understanding its layout, or filling out forms. It’s important to be mindful of cognitive load as a designer because, like computers, users’ brains have limited processing power.

When a website or app sends us too much or confusing information at once, it can exceed users’ capacity to process it efficiently. This can slow them down, cause them to miss key details, or lead to frustration and giving up on the task. So it becomes important to understand these limits and create user-friendly designs that don't overload users’ mental capacity.^[1]

Intrinsic cognitive load refers to the complexity inherent in the material or task itself. For example, using a new software with many advanced features naturally requires more mental effort because the task itself is complex.

Extrinsic cognitive load comes from the way information or tasks are presented in the interface. If the new software’s interface is cluttered or poorly organized, it adds unnecessary difficulty, making even simple tasks confusing and hard to navigate.

Germane cognitive load is the effort put into actually learning and becoming proficient with the interface.

Effective UX minimizes extrinsic load and manages intrinsic load, while enhancing germane load, making the overall user experience smooth and rewarding.

Minimizing clutter is one of the best ways to reduce cognitive load in UX design. When a website or app is clutter-free, it's easier for users to focus on what's important without getting overwhelmed.

Start by questioning the purpose of each element within your design. This means critically evaluating every piece of information, functionality, and even design embellishments that are part of your interface.

Ask yourself, "What purpose does this element serve?" If the answer isn't clear or if the element doesn't directly enhance the user's experience or help them achieve their goals, it likely doesn't need to be there. This helps you strip down your design to the essentials, making your site or app more straightforward and user-friendly.

A mental model is what users expect based on their past experiences with similar interfaces. When a design aligns with these expectations, it's easier for users to understand and use without extra effort.

Here are some ways to do it:

• Use common placements: For example, social media platforms often have navigation bars at the bottom or the top, e-commerce sites usually have a shopping cart icon in the top right corner, and news sites typically follow an F-shaped pattern for content layout.
• Use common terminology: Use common terms for buttons and actions. For example, use "Cart" for online shopping and "Play" for media streaming apps.
• Use common gestures: For example, swiping left or right to browse through a picture gallery, pinching to zoom in or out, or pulling down to refresh a page are some of the standard gestures commonly used in mobile interfaces.

This reduces the need for users to learn new ways of interacting, thus lowering cognitive load.

It's important to remove unnecessary steps in any user task to minimize cognitive load and make the user experience smoother and more efficient. This approach helps users accomplish their goals faster without confusion or frustration. It can be applied in various areas like:

• Form filling: Simplify forms by only asking for essential information. Use autofill where possible to speed up the process.
• Navigation: Streamline navigation by reducing the number of clicks needed to reach important sections. Make sure the most frequently accessed features are easiest to find.
• Checkout processes: In e-commerce, simplify the checkout process by eliminating redundant steps and using a progress indicator to show users how many steps remain.
• Onboarding: Limit the number of steps required to start using the app or service immediately.

The proximity principle of Gestalt psychology suggests that things that are close together appear more related.^[2] When similar items are placed near each other, it's easier for users to process information because their brain can quickly understand that these items belong to the same category or serve a similar function.

For example, consider a productivity app that includes features like tasks, notes, and reminders. Grouping related options together, such as putting all task-related actions (add task, edit task, delete task) in one toolbar, and all note-related actions (create note, organize notes, share notes) in another distinct section, uses the proximity principle effectively. Users won't need to hunt through unrelated options to find what they need, making their interaction with the app more efficient and less mentally taxing.

Chunking is a design technique where information is grouped into small, manageable units or chunks. This helps reduce cognitive load by making it easier for users to process, understand, remember, and navigate through information.

In UIs, chunking can be applied by organizing content into clear sections or categories. For instance, in a registration form, you can group personal information (like name and date of birth) in one section, and account information (such as username and password) in another. This not only makes the form look cleaner but also helps users logically process the information as they fill it out, without the mental strain of going through unrelated information scattered across different areas.

Chunking text content makes reading online much more user-friendly by breaking down large blocks of text into smaller, manageable pieces. This helps users skim through information quickly.

Here are some effective ways to chunk text content:

• Use brief paragraphs with clear spaces between them to make the text easier to digest and less overwhelming.
• Keep lines of text short, ideally between 50–75 characters.
• Create clear visual hierarchies where related items are grouped together under common headings or organized in lists.
• Break up long strings of numbers or letters, like phone numbers, credit card numbers, or dates, into smaller groups. For example, format a credit card number as "1234 5678 9012 3456" instead of a long unbroken string.^[3]

Simply breaking text into chunks helps, but further supporting quick scanning with chunk formatting ensures users can easily grasp the main points.

Here’s how you can optimize chunk formatting:

• Use headings and subheadings that stand out from the rest of the text. Make them bolder and larger to guide the reader’s eye through the content.
• Emphasize important words or phrases by making them bold or italic. This draws attention to crucial information and helps users quickly understand the core message.
• Organize information into numbered or bulleted lists to break down complex data into digestible pieces, making it easy to scan and comprehend.
• For longer sections, include a brief summary at the beginning or end. This gives readers an overview of the content, helping them decide if they want to delve deeper.

Chunking multimedia content effectively hinges on organizing related elements together. This makes it easier for users to understand and navigate the content. Here are some ways to do it:

• Visual separation: Use background colors, horizontal lines, and ample white space to clearly separate different chunks of content.
• Video and audio chunking: Organize videos or audio files into chapters or topics that users can access individually without having to watch the entire video in sequence.
• Transcripts with subheadings: Provide transcripts for audio or video content that are segmented by subheadings. This not only makes the content accessible to those who prefer reading over watching but also allows users to easily navigate to specific parts of the video content.
• Group related tools: In applications with many features, like a design software, group related tools (like brushes, erasers, and pencils) together in the toolbar.
• Labels for image categories: When grouping images or graphics, use clear, descriptive labels for each category.

Using familiar visual cues helps minimize cognitive load by allowing users to recognize and understand interface elements quickly based on past experiences. This familiarity enables users to navigate and interact with less mental effort.

Here are some ways to incorporate familiar visual cues:

• Iconography: Use common icons, such as a shopping cart for purchases, a house shape for home, or a magnifying glass for search. These universally recognized symbols help users intuitively understand their function without additional explanation.
• Color coding: Employ standard color meanings — red for errors or warnings, green for go or success, and blue for links or information. This leverages users’ pre-existing associations with colors to convey information quickly.
• Layout conventions: Stick to standard layout practices, such as placing the navigation menu at the top or left of a page and the logo in the upper left corner. This aligns with user expectations and reduces the need for them to learn new navigational schemas.

Using common design patterns in UX design helps reduce cognitive load because users are already familiar with these patterns. When they see a familiar pattern, they know how to use it without needing to think much.

Here are some examples of common design patterns:

• Search bars: Always put search bars at the top right or center of the page alongside a magnifying glass icon. Users often look for search functionality in these spots.
• Buttons: Use standard button styles for actions like "Submit," "Cancel," and "Back." Keep these buttons consistent in color and shape across the site.
• Modals: Use modal windows to ask users for permissions contextually.
• Sign-up pages: Allow users to create and access their accounts using their existing social media credentials, such as Facebook or Google.

Including onboarding for new users helps reduce cognitive load by guiding them through your app or website step-by-step. This makes it easier for users to understand how to use the interface without feeling overwhelmed.

Here are some guidelines:

• Keep it simple: Use short, clear instructions. Avoid long paragraphs.
• Interactive walkthroughs: Show users how to complete key tasks with pop-up tips or guided tours.
• Progress indicators: Let users know how many steps are left in the onboarding process.
• Highlight key features first: Focus on the most important features that users need to get started.
• Allow skipping: Give users the option to skip the onboarding if they prefer to explore on their own.

Using a style guide to guide your design choices helps reduce cognitive load by making your design consistent. When everything looks and works the same way, users don't have to figure things out over and over.

Here’s how to put together a basic style guide:

• Specify which typefaces, fonts, and colors to use across the interface.
• Define the design and placement of buttons and icons.
• Set standards for layouts, like where menus and search bars go to make navigation easier.
• Include logos, images, and styles. Consistent branding builds familiarity and trust.
• Detail how elements should be spaced and aligned. This creates a clean, organized look.