Web Design Tips -Why Less is More
Sarah Rose Stack • January 22, 2020
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Web Design Tips💡 - Why Less Is More
Hick’s Law: Less is more
Reduce Choices to reduce decision making time.
Consider the following scenarios and which ones were easier to act on:
Restaurants with a simple menu option or...
Restaurants with 10 pages of menu options?
Less is More
Photo by: John Doe
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Stores with select pieces that complement its aesthetic or...
Stores with so many options that most end up in an oversized clearance section reminiscent of a hoarder's closet?
Less is More
Photo by: John Doe
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When there are too many choices, people often feel overwhelmed and experience “analysis paralysis”. They are unable to make a decision because there are too many items competing for their focus.
Hick’s Law
refers to the theory that the more choices you offer, the longer it will take someone to make a decision and in the case of web design – the more chances someone will leave your site to go elsewhere.
If your site offers too many choices, is difficult to navigate or has too many design elements, it can leave the user feeling confused about what to do next. For them, it’s like walking into a room with 100 signs flashing “look here”. When there are too many places to look, the user often ends up looking nowhere at all. It becomes too difficult for them to consider all of the options and take action.
By reducing choices, clutter, words, and distractions from your website; you can also reduce the time it takes for a user to make a clear and quick decision. How?
1. Create simple and focused design that helps your customer understand their options.
2. Keep submenus in your navigation to a minimum. If reading your submenu feels like completely a homework assignment, the user may leave your site prematurely.
3. Design for your target customer. By understanding who is on your site and why they are there; you can create more meaningful design that helps them to speed up the decision making process for them.
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