Cognitive Load

Cognitive load is the mental processing power needed to use a product

Why it matters

Every element on a screen bills the user’s working memory — every option, every label, every thing that moves. People do not report the overdraft; they just feel tired, miss things, and leave. Reducing load is not dumbing down; it is spending the user’s attention where it earns something.

Feel it

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11 things asking for attention

Same task, same page — only the extraneous load changed.

The numbers

  • 3 kinds — intrinsic (the task), extraneous (your interface), germane (learning)
  • The lever you own is extraneous load

Related terms

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