Cognitive Load
Every element on screen costs attention, and attention runs out.
What it is
Working memory holds a handful of things at once. Every field, option, badge and sentence draws on the same budget. When the budget is spent, people stop processing and start guessing, skipping or leaving. Good interfaces spend that budget on the decision, not the decoration.
The research
The capacity of working memory is roughly seven items, plus or minus two, and drops further under time pressure or distraction.
Miller, 1956; Sweller, 1988
How to use it
Ask for less
Every form field you remove lifts completion. Collect the rest after the account exists.
Defaults over decisions
Pre-fill the sensible option. People will change it if they need to, and most will not need to.
One idea per section
A section that makes two points makes neither. Split it.
Put it to work
I use Cognitive Load in the hooks and first frames of the ads I brief. If you want it applied to your own funnel, that is part of my Meta Ads and creative work, usually inside a fractional CMO engagement.
Related
Sources that shaped this entry: growth.design.