UX Series:
1. Hicks law

The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.

Hick’s Law is named after a British and an American psychologist William Edmund Hick and Ray Hyman. Their aim was to look at the relationship between the number of stimuli present and an individual’s reaction time to it. The more stimuli someone had to choose from the longer it took for a user to make a decision.

Applying Hick’s law to UX design means you should try to simplify choices for the user by breaking down complex actions into more manageable steps. Doing this allows the user to process information quicker and as a result of this speeding up the overall user journey.

As well as this try to avoid overwhelming users with what’s being displayed. Even if the interface is simplified, this can be done by highlighting a recommended journey for the user. Doing this makes it easier for the user to reach their desired destination.