| name | apply-hicks-law |
| description | Use when simplifying navigation menus, option lists, decision points, or any interface where too many choices slow users down |
| source | Hick "On the Rate of Gain of Information" Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology (1952); Nielsen Norman Group Hick's Law article; Raskin "The Humane Interface" (2000) |
| tags | ["hicks-law","decision-design","ux","navigation","simplicity"] |
| verified | true |
Apply Hick's Law
Reduce the number and complexity of choices at each decision point so users can act faster, with less cognitive effort and fewer errors.
Why This Is Best Practice
Adopted by: Apple iOS navigation patterns, Google Material navigation drawer, Amazon checkout funnel reduction, Basecamp progressive disclosure
Impact: Hick (1952) showed reaction time increases logarithmically with choices: doubling options adds a fixed decision overhead; Amazon's 1-Click checkout (minimal choice) increased conversion by ~20%
Why best: Decision time = a + b × log2(n+1) where n = number of choices. Reducing n directly reduces task time. Progressive disclosure and chunking maintain access to full functionality while reducing per-screen load.
Sources: Hick (1952) Quarterly J. Experimental Psychology; Hyman (1953) confirmation study; Raskin (2000) Ch. 5; Nielsen Norman Group Hick's Law
