The 3 F’s of simplicity
Just make it simple they say.
We’ve all been there. Someone says “We need to make this easier” or “We need to make this simpler”. Sounds easy enough but what does making it simpler really mean? How do you know your working towards a simpler experience?
Lets take a look at Hicks Law, which is a system that says the more choices you present your users with, the longer it will take them to reach a decisions. Its really about the relationship between the number of stimuli and a users reaction time to any given task. The objective of Hicks Law is to try and simplify the decision making process, not removed the process entirely.
The formula for Hick’s Law is defined as follows:
RT = a + b log2 (n)
Where “RT” is the reaction time, “(n)” is the number of stimuli present, and “a” and “b” are arbitrary measurable constants that depend on the task that is to be carried out and the conditions under which it will be carried out.
Today when designers often try to cram to much functionality into a product or service we often refer too this as “Decision Fatigue”. Creating overwhelming amount of choice only increases the cognitive load for the user. Studies have shown that reducing choice actually increases selection.
Applying 3 high-level approaches, Focus, Flat and Fast.
- Focus
Remove unnecessary items and other non-relevant elements. Leverage context and data insights to help inform what should be the focus of attention and the “job to be done”. Applying Anticipatory design practices to help inform and educate the user. Chunking and producing one focused task at a time. - Flat
Reduce deep navigations to create a more flat architecture to provide the perception of simplicity and reduce decision fatigue and cognitive load. - Fast
Use existing user interface and interaction paradigms to help users quickly understand what to do without thinking. Reducing the cognitive load will lead to the perception of time being saved and the feel as though the interaction is simple.
