Think of working memory as computer RAM and long-term memory as the hard drive. Working memory must sort through all external stimuli and short-term memory items, as well as draw from long-term memory if needed. To understand cognitive load theory, you have to understand working memory, the brain activity used to complete a task in the moment. (Image: Erika Wittlieb) ( View large version ) It would get old after a while, right? But according to cognitive load theory, that’s the same kind of frustration users feel with poor UX design. What if every time you wanted to open the fridge, you had to answer a Sphinxian riddle like, “What walks on four feet in the morning, two in the afternoon and three at night?” As we’ll explain, the same techniques that enhance memorability and learning also reduce user annoyance.
While these strategies were originally intended for the field of education, they apply equally to user experience (UX) design.
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Miller was also responsible for the paper “ The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two” (PDF), which prompted many designers to limit menu items to between five and nine - although this technique has since been demoted in digital design. Miller’s research has since ingrained itself in digital design, especially the technique of chunking, discussed later in this article. In many ways, Sweller’s work expanded on the information processing theories of George Miller, a cognitive psychologist and linguist of the 1950s who tested the limits of short-term memory. His work incorporated the data organizational constructs known as schema and outlined both effective and ineffective teaching methods, but his findings on the limitations of working memory are what designers tend to find most useful. Sweller’s work culminated in the 1988 publication of “ Cognitive Load Theory, Learning Difficulty, and Instructional Design” (PDF), reworked and republished later in 1994. In other words, what are the best strategies for making a lesson stick? Sweller sought to discern the best conditions for learners of any kind to retain the information they were taught. While the study of cognition dates back centuries, it wasn’t until the 1980s that Australian educational psychologist John Sweller applied the research to instructional design. Cognitive overload happens when your working memory receives more information than it can handle comfortably, leading to frustration and comprised decision-making.īut what does that mean, really? What exactly is working memory? And what does this have to do with design? The first step is to understand the origin of cognitive load theory.
(Image: Dierk Schaefer) ( View large version) The Scientific Roots Of Cognitive OverloadĬognitive load refers to the total amount of information your working memory can handle. First, we need to explain what exactly in our brains is at risk of being overloaded. This excessive thinking is called cognitive overload, and here we’ll explain how you can avoid it. Even momentary pauses are enough to rip users back into the reality that they’re sitting in front of their computer. A user who feels confused by the options, the interface, the navigation and so on will likely feel overwhelmed in their thinking process. Complicated and confusing interfaces force users to find solutions to problems that shouldn’t be there in the first place. Luke Wroblewski, Product Director at GoogleĪfter all, consider the alternative. Rather than forcing people to divert their attention from their primary task, come to where they are.” It takes a lot of effort to shift the course of something with that much momentum. “Getting in the way of a speeding freight train usually doesn’t end well. Your job, as a designer, is to give them a straight path to their goal by clearing out the obstacles beforehand. The less users have to think about the interface or design, the more they can focus on accomplishing their goal on your website. If the user experience design does what it’s supposed to do, the user won’t notice any of the work that went into it. It appears smooth and simple on the surface, but hundreds of crucial design decisions have been made to guide, entertain and prevent trouble. The best user experience is the one the user doesn’t notice.
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