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- User Psychology #1: Hick's Law
User Psychology #1: Hick's Law
We're starting a new User Psychology series. Let's learn about the Hick's Law.
Read Time: 4 min
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Hi there 👋!
Welcome to our brand-new User Psychology series, where we dive into the fascinating world of user psychology frameworks! We're excited to help you learn and understand how user psychology can be applied to create more effective products.
As a product manager, it's crucial to understand your users' needs and desires. In today's world, competition is at an all-time high, and it's more important than ever to create products that truly resonate with your target audience.
By understanding their mindset, thinking, and attitudes, you can get inside their heads and figure out exactly what they're looking for!
To kick off this series, we're starting with Hick's Law.
What you’ll learn:
What is the Hick’s Law?
Who coined it and why?
Applications of the law
Sample usage scenario
Let’s jump in!
What is the Hick’s Law?
Hick's Law is a psychological principle that states that the time it takes for a person to make a decision increases linearly as the number of choices increases logarithmically. In simple words, the more choices a person has, the longer it takes for them to make a decision.
Who Coined it & Why?
Did you know that Hick's Law is named after the British psychologist William Edmund Hick? Hick conducted a series of experiments in the 1950s to study the relationship between the number of stimuli and the time it takes to make a choice.
In these experiments, participants were shown a varying number of light bulbs and asked to identify the one that was illuminated. By measuring the time it took for participants to make a decision, Hick was able to study the impact of the number of stimuli on decision-making time.
The results of the experiments were fascinating! They showed that the time it took participants to make a decision increased as the number of light bulbs increased. However, what's interesting is that the increase was not proportional - it followed a logarithmic curve.
This means that as the number of light bulbs increased, the time it took to make a decision increased at a slower rate.
Applications of the Law
So, how can we apply Hick's Law in practice?
Well, one way is to limit the number of choices presented to the user. Instead of offering a wide range of products, features, or choices, we can focus on a few key options that are most relevant to the user's needs.
This simplifies the decision-making process and ensures that the user is presented with options that are most likely to be of interest to them.
Another way to apply Hick's Law is to use clear and concise language in the user interface. By using simple language and avoiding jargon, we can help users to understand their options more quickly and make decisions more efficiently.
This makes it easier for users to navigate through the application or website and find what they're looking for.
Sample Usage Scenario
When designing a restaurant-finding mobile app, apply Hick's Law by limiting the number of choices on the home screen and highlighting key features like "Search," "Reviews," and "Map View."
Further, narrow down the options with filters like "Cuisine" and "Price Range." Use clear language to describe options and simplify the decision-making process for users.
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