Hick's Law
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.
Key Takeaways
Minimize the number of choices when response times are critical to decrease decision time.
Break complex tasks into smaller steps to reduce cognitive load and guide users through a process.
Highlight recommended options to reduce decision time, and use progressive onboarding to minimize cognitive load for new users.
Origin
Hick's Law (also known as the Hick-Hyman Law) originated from research by British psychologist William Edmund Hick and American psychologist Ray Hyman. In 1952, they examined the relationship between the number of stimuli present and an individual's reaction time to any given stimulus. Their findings demonstrated that increasing the number of choices logarithmically increases decision time, creating unnecessary cognitive burden on users who must process each option before acting.