We’re constantly interacting with various types of data in this digital age, which may be too much for our brains to handle. Instead of bombarding the user with information, we should enable them to focus on their goal as designers.

Text, colors, photos, and animations are examples of distinct components in the system seen on a website or mobile application and brain has a set of rules for processing complicated information. The effort necessary to process all of this data is referred to as “cognitive load,” and it is important to the success of your product design.

Miller’s Law claims that the typical human can only hold 5 to 9 pieces of knowledge at a time. Many misunderstandings have arisen as a result of this principle, such as the restriction of an interface menu to 7 items.

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two

According to wikipedia, “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information” is one of the most highly cited papers in psychology. It was written by the cognitive psychologist George A. Miller of Harvard University’s Department of Psychology and published in 1956 in Psychological Review. It is often interpreted to argue that the number of objects an average human can hold in short-term memory is 7 ± 2.

So, how to use Miller’s Law?

Chunking

To make information easier to process and memorize, divide it into a small number of units or chunks. Chunking allows us to get around our restricted capacity for processing and storing information in short-term memory.

Break down vast amounts of data into smaller parts to make it easier for the user to understand and get a sense of what’s going on. The user’s perspective of what is significant and worthwhile to remember can be shaped by how information is chunked together.

Text can be broken down into paragraphs with headings to make it easier to scan for a certain topic. The reader’s perception of the material is shaped by the headers chosen and what should fit into which paragraph.

• We need to make sure that scanning our goods is as simple as possible. The majority of users read through the text. This makes it easy for people to find what they’re looking for. Important notes should be labelled, bolded, or colored. We can attract the user’s interest while also guiding them in scanning the items.
• People prefer scrolling than clicking next to go to the next page.
• Using the space around our product, we can fit various chunks of info. Online retail site or app layouts are excellent examples. They use the gaps around the product to organize the products. It also maintains the design simple and uncluttered.

Groups that make sense

Organizing information into logical groupings is one method to use chunking in your design. This helps the user to quickly digest and comprehend the information provided while focusing just on the information that they are interested in.

Separate pieces of material divided into chunks of several categories may help users focus more effectively. This helps to prevent cognitive overload by reducing the amount of material the user is exposed to. The user may then concentrate on the group that interests them while ignoring the remainder of the material.

Wrap up

Miller’s Law states that there is a limit to how much information our brain can store and understand at any given moment. Designers should constantly try to arrange information in a way that is easy to understand for their users.

We must ensure that users of our product are able to find what they are looking for. So don’t make your design more complicated by putting all of your resources in one place.

Don’t make folks put in more work than is necessary. To make your product easier to use, apply the concepts of chunking and make proper use of them.