Have you heard of Hick’s Law?
The short and sweet definition involves:
Not overwhelming users with too many choices!
If time is of the essence and you want users to take action fast, then avoid giving them too many options to choose from.
Practical use of Hick’s Law:
I was at Costco, yesterday. My husband felt tempted by the giant image of a hotdog as we waited in the checkout line. I offered to buy it for him.
The kiosk had only five options to choose from:
- Hotdog with drink
- Pizza slice with drink
- Whole pizza
- Berry smoothie
- Twisted churro
I don’t know about you but I’m starting to feel a little hungry.
Anyway, I clicked two buttons, paid, and was on my way.
You can apply Hick’s Law to UX design too.
If you want to have users spend more time on your website, make sure you offer them enough meat to stick around for.
The keyword, here, is ‘enough.’
Too little to offer and your audience might get bored.
Too much and you might distract them from taking action (such as buying your stuff!)
Where else can you apply Hick’s Law? Comment below.
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