Design Psychology: Hick's Law

When you ask users to choose, and decision time is critical, include only the most expected options. Offering users too many choices leads to cognitive overload.

The more options users see, the longer they estimate it will take to choose one. When a small action requires too much effort, users will abandon the task instead.

Simplicity is especially crucial for feedback or sign-up forms.

Limiting a set of options isn't always the best course of action. For example, when gathering feedback, you want to know why users could be dissatisfied. Leaving the most common options will decrease cognitive overload but give you only part of the picture. A good solution here is to offer the Other option and an input field so users can type what they feel.

The Other option also works for categories. You can conduct a card sorting exercise to find out which categories are the most popular among users and hide the rest under the Other label.^[1]

Keep in mind that giving users too much freedom may result in an endless range of submitted options.

No one likes long unorganized lists — they take too much time to scroll through and complicate user journeys. Instead, products with great UX group content by categories.

All streaming services like Netflix or Spotify use categories that reveal details on request. Without them, users would be lost in a sea of options. Another upside is that categories allow for more pleasant and uncluttered designs.

Grouping navigation components reduces the number of perceived options. This helps users scan the content and make their decisions faster.

Grouping is especially important when it comes to mega menus. A mega menu is a type of expandable menu that displays a large number of choices in a dropdown.^[2] However, if these options aren't organized, these menus can get overwhelming and hard to navigate.

If you're unsure how to group and label them, ask your users. A card sorting exercise will reveal how users categorize items and help structure your navigation.

Not many users get excited about filling out forms. Asking them to manually enter a lot of data can lead to them leaving the task altogether. If you notice high abandonment at your checkout or signup page, consider alternative options.

Using third-party accounts to sign in — like Google or Facebook — takes just one click. It provides you with the most necessary information and doesn't overwhelm users. If you need more information, you can always ask users later.

The downsides of using third-party login include risks of data breaches and obligations to comply with specific requirements for each party.

Leave only the most needed options visible to help users make their choices faster. This doesn't mean you need to completely remove the existing functionality. Instead, make more rarely used options available on request.

The evolution of TV remote controls is an excellent example of limiting options to reduce cognitive load. Older TV remotes had dozens of buttons, and most people didn't even know what each button did. With the advent of the smart TV, the number of buttons on remotes shrunk, which significantly improved the user experience.

Social sharing buttons can complement your content, drive traffic, and create engagement. Offering sharing options for multiple social platforms dramatically improves user experience.

However, seeing 20 social sharing buttons can distract users and paralyze their ability to choose.^[3] So, when providing a set of sharing options, focus on the most common one and hide the rest under the More button.

Filters are meant to simplify and speed up search, not overcomplicate it. Remember that less is more — instead of showing every single filtering option, provide only the most common and needed ones. You can hide other options behind the More Filters button.

Progressive disclosure is an interaction design pattern that divides information or actions across several screens. The most common example of progressive disclosure is step-by-step sign-up flows. Asking for little at each step helps users sidestep the complexity of feature-rich websites or applications.^[4]

Provide only the most relevant content and less used features behind the "Show more" or "Advanced" options. This way, users who want to dig deeper will still be able to access the necessary information.

Progressive onboarding allows users to get familiar with the product as they use it. This is the opposite of the traditional onboardings that introduce all available functions as soon as users open the product.

The golden rule is to present functional aspects only when users initiate them. Let users explore the app without hitting them with endless hints and tips on every screen.

To reduce cognitive load and help users make decisions faster, offer recommendations based on search history. Having too many options doesn't just increase the decision time — it also makes people feel less satisfied with their decisions.

If users have to choose between 5 TV shows, for example, it's easier to decide which option they prefer. As the number of choices increases, users become less certain about making the right decision.

Apply progressive disclosure to longer forms. Instead of placing all inputs on the same page, group them and put them on separate pages. For example, ask for the delivery address at one step and offer payment options at another. Simply put, when there are fewer items on a page, users are less likely to get overwhelmed and make mistakes.