Finding the Right Balance of Information in UX
Two well-known laws within the UX world exist in tension but is there a way to meet in the middle? Hick’s Law focuses on limiting options while Tesler’s Law recognizes that there is always complexity that has to remain. Let’s take a look at how to find a balance between the two laws.
Finding Balance
As UX designers, we must create an experience that is so well thought out that it’s not noticed. We simplify to avoid cognitive overload. How can we find that sweet spot between too much and too little information?
I find the practice of taking in all the information needed and putting it back together in a way that works for all users exciting. Over the last year, I’ve become more and more fascinated with learning about how stimuli affects us all in different ways. For example, I’m sensitive to noise and other stimuli, which can overwhelm me. My husband, who has ADHD, functions better, at least in some cases, with much more stimuli. We’re all so different that it can be puzzling to piece together a great UX experience. Let’s take a look at how to find that balance inspired by two principles that speak to the complexity and cognitive load.
Cognitive Load
Hick’s Law focuses on the time it takes to make a decision and the increasing number and complexity of choice. Designer Jon Yoblonski adds that ”[Hick’s Law] implies that complex interfaces result in longer processing times for users, which is important because it’s related to a fundamental theory in psychology known as cognitive load(amount of working memory used).” When given many options or much information, it takes more time to decide, causing more work for the user and possibly frustration. Many UX designers tend to focus on links and menus when thinking of decisions the user has to make, when really it should be thought of in all parts of the design.
Complexity
Tesler’s Law, also known as the Law of Conservation of Complexity, states that for any system there is a certain amount of complexity that cannot be reduced. UX designers must be able to remove complexity but making something too simple can cause users to get bored and not interact with the system. Take a look at the image below, would you want to use a website that looked like that?
It’s incumbent upon UX designers to remove as much burden as possible on behalf of users. Complexity will always remain and it can, at least in some parts, be moved to design and development to make it easier for users. Finding that balance takes time.
Steps to Balancing
As someone who enjoys planning, I created an outline to use when thinking through how to find balance between too little and too much information informed by both Hick’s Law and Tesler’s. Gross suggests that “to properly apply Hick’s Law to Web design, we must approach a design the way our users do: in phases.” While he only referenced Hick’s Law, it very much applies to Tesler’s Law as well.
Step One: Assess all of the pieces. Note everything that is needed for the design or flow: steps, content, forms, links, etc. At this stage it’s best to have a lot of notes to work through. Sometimes I like to write it all out on paper and other times I like to use Mural to make a digital whiteboard.
Step Two: Chunk Notes. Group any steps or content that would naturally go together. Depending on the content, this could be a good time to do a card sorting exercise to get a better understanding of how the user’s group items.
Step Three: Eliminate. This is where Hick’s Law comes into play. Remove anything that is not needed or is redundant but be careful to not take out too much. Take out items from forms that aren’t really necessary; e.g do you really need the user’s mailing address? This is a good place to think through what the user’s goal is by consulting job stories, personas, or feedback.
Step Four: Address Complexity. Letting Tesler’s Law shine. Think through what could be seen as complex — something that could confuse or frustrate the users. (Are there too many steps? Is this asking too much of the user? Could this be confusing?) Also, thinking about how often your users interact with the product. Taking the time to do a usability study here can be extremely helpful. Most of the time it’s best to move the complexity from the user to the development, while it will take longer to build, it will make for happier users. If it’s a product that the user will use often, some of the complexity can be left on the user as they’ll learn how to use it.
Step Five: Design. By this point, there should be a more realistic flow the user will take. Lay out the flow with wireframes for a view of the entire process. Ascertain whether anything can be removed; this may require a few rounds to work through.
Step Six: Declutter. Many products have multiple use cases and personas which can make for a cluttered feeling website or app. As someone who enjoys minimalism, decluttering is my favorite step, after planning. Kaplan asserts that “help[ing] users manage the choice, feature and function overload prevalent within complex applications by minimizing the appearance of clutter within the interface without reducing the capability of the application” is like removing without really removing. That is, some items can be hidden if it’s not necessary to that particular user; information can be condensed with the option to be expanded if the user is interested in more.
Step Seven: Get Feedback. Share with stakeholders and do user research to see where the design is successful and where it needs improvement. As always in UX, this is one of the most important steps in the entire process.
Step Eight: Iterate. It wouldn’t be UX if it didn’t include iteration. Take the findings from the feedback and update the design. Repeat as needed.
Just Right
We’ve taken a look at Hick’s Law which asks for simplicity through limiting choices for the users, and Tesler’s Law which states that there is a certain amount of complexity that cannot be eliminated. At first glance, these two laws appear to work against each other, but in actuality, they do work together.
Using the eight steps listed above will make finding the balance between the two laws much easier. It’s something that I will be using during my design process from now on. What project could you use this process on to find the sweet spot between too little and too much information?
Check out these similar articles:
References
Yablonski, J. (n.d.). Hick’s law. Laws of UX. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://lawsofux.com/en/hicks-law/
Yablonski, J. (n.d.). Tesler’s law. Laws of UX. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://lawsofux.com/en/teslers-law/
Calleia, M. (2022, June 26). Explaining the law of conservation of complexity. Humanist. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from http://humanist.co/blog/law-of-conservation-of-complexity/
Simplicity is overrated. Marvel Blog. (2017, April 18). Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://marvelapp.com/blog/simplicity-is-overrated/
Yablonski, J. (2018, October 5). The Psychology of Design. A List Apart. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://alistapart.com/article/psychology-of-design/
Kaplan, K. (2020, November 8). 8 design guidelines for Complex Applications. Nielsen Norman Group. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/complex-application-design/
Gross, J. (2012, February 23). Redefining hick’s law. Smashing Magazine. Retrieved July 29, 2022, from https://www.smashingmagazine.com/2012/02/redefining-hicks-law/
