Cognitive Load In UX

🔎 How To Redesign Complex Navigation: How We Restructured Intercom’s IA (https://lnkd.in/ezbHUYyU), a practical case study on how the Intercom team fixed the maze of features, settings, workflows and navigation labels. Neatly put together by Pranava Tandra. 🚫 Customers can’t use features they can’t discover. ✅ Simplifying is about bringing order to complexity. ✅ First, map out the flow of customers and their needs. ✅ Study how people navigate and where they get stuck. ✅ Spot recurring friction points that resonate across tasks. 🚫 Don’t group features based on how they are built. ✅ Group features based on how users think and work. ✅ Bring similar things together (e.g. Help, Knowledge). ✅ Establish dedicated hubs for key parts of the product. ✅ Relocate low-priority features to workflows/settings. 🤔 People don’t use products in predictable ways. 🤔 Users often struggle with cryptic icons and labels. ✅ Show labels in a collapsible nav drawer, not on hover. ✅ Use content testing to track if users understand icons. ✅ Allow users to pin/unpin items in their navigation drawer. One of the helpful ways to prioritize sections in navigation is by layering customer journeys on top of each other to identify most frequent areas of use. The busy “hubs” of user interactions typically require faster and easier access across the product. Instead of using AI or designer’s mental model to reorganize navigation, invite users and run a card sorting session with them. People are usually not very good at naming things, but very good at grouping and organizing them. And once you have a new navigation, test and refine it with tree testing. As Pranava writes, real people don’t use products in perfectly predictable ways. They come in with an infinite variety of needs, assumptions, and goals. Our job is to address friction points for their realities — by reducing confusion and maximizing clarity. Good IA work and UX research can do just that. [Useful resources in the comments ↓] #ux #IA

Clinicians don’t want more data. They want fewer decisions. HealthTech keeps confusing complexity with sophistication. We assume that because clinicians are smart, they want more dashboards. More alerts. More choices. In truth, they want something no algorithm can measure: Cognitive relief. Imagine you’re a pilot. Mid-flight, you’re shown 17 new dials. Flashing red. Each says something important. Now make a life-or-death decision. Fast. Would you say thank you? That’s what most clinical decision support looks like in HealthTech today. And it’s killing trust faster than bad data ever could. Why? Because information isn’t value. Clarity is. The problem, IMO, isn’t the number of alerts. It’s the hidden cost of each micro-decision. Every time we ask a clinician to interpret another data stream, we’re not helping them, we’re taxing them. It’s not death by data. It’s death by 1,000 cognitive cuts. We’ve forgotten the difference between data and decision. Between information and insight. Between noise and relevance. And worst of all? We often design for what looks impressive - not what actually works on a ward round. The best HealthTech doesn’t make clinicians feel smarter. It makes them feel safer. Not “empowered.” Not “augmented.” Just calm. Just clear. That’s the gold standard now isn’t it? Tools that remove thinking, not add to it. If you’re building in HealthTech, Don’t ask: “What more can we show?” Ask: “What decisions can we take away?” That’s where trust is built. That’s where burnout is reduced. Build for fewer decisions. What would you add? P.S. Tools that reduce decisions are finally being valued. VCs are rewarding clarity, not complexity. If your AI product calms the chaos - you're building in the right direction - https://lnkd.in/euA2-8a2

Your brain isn't designed for endless decisions. Yet that's exactly what many executives ask it to do. One meeting flows into another Slack never stops Emails pile up Every decision feels urgent After a while, people tell themselves they've lost focus. In reality, they're often experiencing cognitive overload. Your brain only has a limited capacity to process information. So as the number of competing tasks and decisions grows,  mental performance starts to decline. That often means working memory becomes less effective,  mistakes increase, and decision quality suffers. The solution usually isn't working harder. And yet that's the route most high-performers try to take. The better route would be reducing the load your brain is carrying. These are some of the strategies I come back to: ✅ Break large projects into smaller milestones.  Because your brain responds better to progress than distant deadlines. ✅ If a task feels overwhelming, make the first step almost impossible to avoid.  Momentum is always easier to build than motivation. ✅ Reduce unnecessary choices.  The fewer decisions competing for attention, the more energy you have for the important ones. ✅ Don't consume everything at once.  Process information in stages instead of trying to hold it all in your head. There's good evidence behind this, too. Cognitive Load Theory shows that our working memory has limited capacity, and performance improves when unnecessary mental load is reduced. It's one of the reasons why simplifying decisions often leads to better thinking, not less ambitious thinking. The highest-performing leaders I've met have built environments that stop their brains from becoming overloaded. Because protecting your attention doesn't mean you're expected to do less. But rather making sure you still have enough left for the decisions that matter. Stay healthy. By the way, you can join The Upward ARC community with 8,000+ other leaders navigating health, recovery, and performance under real pressure. 📌 https://bit.ly/UpwardARC ♻️ Repost to help leaders take action 🔔 Follow Andre Heeg, MD for more

Good intentions cannot build a healthy work environment. We tell leaders to be inclusive, but rarely show them how. Inclusion is a daily practice, not a feeling. Meetings where the loudest voice dominates are systems designed to exclude. My dissertation on Workplace Neurodiverse Equity used Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory to show how environments shape our capacity to thrive. Neurodiversity is the natural variation in human functioning. Everyone is part of it. Some of us just need a bit more intentional help. So, here are 10 practices to lower stress and increase support for your team: 1/ Agendas Reality: Spontaneous demands spike cortisol. Practice: Send agendas and necessary decisions 24 hours in advance. Yield: Ensures deep processing time. 2/ Brainstorming Reality: Verbal brainstorming blocks ideas. Practice: First 10 minutes are silent. Write ideas before speaking. Yield: Eliminates bias of loudest voice. 3/ Cameras Reality: Forced visual attendance drains energy. Practice: State engagement is measured by contributions, not faces. Yield: Reduces sensory overload and prevents fatigue. 4/ Cold Calls Reality: Cold calls trigger fight or flight. Practice: Give notice before asking for input. Yield: Reduces performance anxiety and restores executive function. 5/ Captions Reality: Auditory processing varies wildly. Practice: Enable live transcription on every call by default. Yield: Ensures information is captured despite barriers. 6/ Movement Reality: Movement regulates; it is not a distraction. Practice: Normalize pacing, knitting, or sketching. Yield: Increases focus and emotional regulation. 7/ Processing Time Reality: Forced participation creates anxiety. Practice: Normalize saying you need time to process. Yield: Cultivates psychological safety. 8/ Expectations Reality: Unspoken rules are invisible barriers. Practice: If an expectation matters, write it down. Yield: Eliminates ambiguity and social guessing. 9/ Visuals Reality: Auditory information is fleeting. Practice: Never just speak a point. Share screen or provide written anchor. Yield: Reinforces working memory. 10/ Transitions Reality: Back to back tasks drain executive function. Practice: End meetings at 25 or 50 minute mark. Enforce strict hard stop. Yield: Respects biological limits and allows recovery. Stop relying on good intentions. Start cultivating an environment where every mind can thrive. Just remember, we are all a bit different, stay curious, and adapt to each person. What is one neuro-inclusive practice you plan to plant in your next meeting?

When someone lands on your site, every extra word, button, or menu is a cognitive tax. Take this landing page comparison: Attio - keeps the load light • One navigation bar • 12 words in total for the header + sub-header • 9 clickable exits above the fold • Lots of whitespace • Sneak peak at product imagery The result = focus 🧘♀️ HubSpot - seems to have many cooks in the kitchen • Two navigation bars at the top • 50% more words (24 words in the header + subheader) • 13 clickable exits above the fold • Bigger chat widgets • Lifestyle imagery instead of whitespace The result = distraction 🐿️ With busier pages comes higher cognitive load, the paradox of choice, and decision paralysis 🧠 In real terms: if someone pauses even a split second more and doesn’t act, they’re more likely to bounce. And this isn’t just true for landing pages - it applies to pricing pages, homepages, dashboards… anywhere with competing priorities 👩🍳 👩🍳 👩🍳 It’s easy to add, hard to cut. ✂️ Good design isn’t what you add, it’s what you remove (or don't add in the first place). So ask yourself: What's the 30% you can remove from your page? 🗑️

Ever made a regrettable decision simply because you were mentally drained? You’re not alone! Mental #fatigue doesn’t just make us feel drained—it reshapes the way we think, prioritize, and choose. What happens in the brain when we’re mentally worn out? Most of us assume the #brain just runs out of energy, but recent research suggests something different. It found that mental fatigue increases the cost of exerting #CognitiveControl—a brain function that helps us focus, resist distractions, and make thoughtful decisions. In this experiment, participants were asked to perform either challenging or simple mental tasks throughout the day. After each round, they made decisions between easy, low-reward options or harder, high-reward ones. This cycle repeated five times over a 6.25 hour period!! They found: 👉 Initially, both groups made similar choices. But over time, participants doing tougher tasks shifted their preferences to easier, low-reward options. This suggests that cognitive fatigue does not just reduce overall performance but increases the perceived cost of cognitive effort, leading to a shift in preferences towards choices that are less demanding. 👉 At the end of the day, a region of the brain associated with cognitive control called the “lateral prefrontal cortex” showed higher concentrations of the chemical glutamate for the participants doing the mentally demanding task, similar to that seen in chronic stress. This increase makes cognitive control harder to perform and may explain why the participants favoured low-cost, low-reward options later in the day. 👉 The change in glutamate levels was not found in the visual cortex, a brain region involved in the task but not typically associated with cognitive control. This finding suggests that the brain changes are localised to the regions needed for cognitive control rather than a result of overall fatigue or loss of energy. Interestingly, when asked about their fatigue at the end of the day, both groups reported the same levels even though only one group was making poorer decisions. In other words, people’s conscious perception of their mental fatigue was not a good indicator of their ability to make good economic decisions. What does this mean? 👉 Take Breaks. Your brain uses rest to clear waste products including glutamate, so taking breaks can help manage the mental fatigue that impairs cognitive control. 👉 Reduce Cognitive Load. Constant task switching, intense problem solving and even learning new skills can all be cognitively demanding. Try to reduce the demand on your cognitive control system by interspersing less demanding tasks. 👉 Avoid time pressure. If you’ve had a mentally demanding time, give yourself additional time before making important decisions. This research raises big questions: How can workplaces design environments to reduce cognitive fatigue? What could this mean for productivity? What strategies do you use to stay mentally sharp during demanding days?

You can’t see cognitive overload. That’s why it’s ignored. Most teams treat accessibility as contrast ratios and alt text. But cognitive accessibility is wider than that, and less forgiving when you get it wrong. Here are 5 common cognitive disabilities And what designers can actually do. 1. ADHD Challenges: • Distractibility • Difficulty prioritizing • Overwhelm from dense layouts Design for: • Clear visual hierarchy • One primary action per section • Step-based flows Avoid: • Competing primary CTAs • Auto-rotating carousels • Notification overload 2. Dyslexia Challenges: • Slower decoding • Reading fatigue • Difficulty with dense text blocks Design for: • Plain language • Left-aligned text • Generous line height (1.5+ recommended) • Clear headings and chunking Avoid: • Justified text • Long paragraphs • Low-contrast body text 3. Autism Spectrum Challenges: • Sensory sensitivity • Cognitive overload • Distress from unexpected change Design for: • Predictable layouts • Explicit labels • Warnings before context shifts • User-controlled animation and motion Avoid: • Sudden modals • Autoplay video • Reduced motion off by default • Ambiguous copy like “Try it” or “Explore.” 4. Memory Impairment Challenges: • Forgetting steps • Losing context in multi-step flows Design for: • Persistent instructions • Progress indicators • Auto-save • Clear error recovery Avoid: • Clearing form data on error • Hiding previous answers • Long forms without sectioning 5. Anxiety Disorders Challenges: • Fear of mistakes • Stress from uncertainty • Decision paralysis Design for: • Reassuring microcopy • Undo functionality • Transparent consequences • Calm error messaging Avoid: • Countdown timers • Aggressive urgency language • Vague destructive actions Ask yourself: "Does this screen reduce thinking or increase it?" 👇🏽 Are we over-indexing on visual accessibility while ignoring cognitive overload? Drop your thoughts in the comments. ♻️ Share and save this for your team. --- ✉️ Subscribe to my newsletter for accessibility and design insights here: https://lnkd.in/gZpAzWSu --- Accessibility note: Content in the post is the same as the image attached (except for a few bullets omitted for easy scanability)

🚀 Why Great UI Design Should Be Self-Explanatory "A user interface is like a joke—if you have to explain it, it's not that good." This quote humorously captures a crucial aspect of UI design, but its implications run deep. As designers, our primary goal is to craft interfaces that are not just visually appealing but also intuitive and effortless for users to navigate. Why This Matters: First Impressions Are Everything: The average user spends only a few seconds deciding whether they will engage with an interface or abandon it. A well-designed UI communicates functionality at a glance, reducing cognitive load and increasing user engagement. Intuitive Design Builds Trust: When users can interact with your design seamlessly without confusion or second-guessing, it builds trust. They feel confident in the experience, which translates to higher satisfaction and loyalty. Simplicity is Powerful: In UI design, less is often more. Overloading users with too many options or complex navigation can overwhelm them. Instead, focus on simplicity—prioritize the essential actions, and remove any elements that don't serve a clear purpose. The Role of Consistency: Consistency in design elements (like buttons, fonts, and icons) helps users form a mental model of how the interface works. This predictability allows users to navigate and interact with ease, reducing friction in their experience. Practical Tips for Creating Self-Explanatory UI: Conduct Usability Testing: Regularly test your designs with real users. Observing where they struggle can provide invaluable insights that help you refine the interface to be more intuitive. Leverage Familiar Patterns: Don’t reinvent the wheel unnecessarily. Users are accustomed to certain design patterns and conventions. Leveraging these can make your interface more intuitive. Provide Feedback: Ensure that the UI gives clear feedback after every user interaction. Whether it’s a button click or a form submission, users should instantly know the result of their actions. Empathize with the User: Always put yourself in the user's shoes. Consider their needs, goals, and potential frustrations. This empathy will guide you in designing interfaces that feel natural and easy to use. Remember, a great UI design isn't just about avoiding mistakes—it's about creating an experience so smooth and intuitive that users don’t even notice the design. It’s invisible in its efficiency. For aspiring designers: Mastering this balance between creativity and usability is key to creating interfaces that not only meet user needs but also delight them. Created By: Mumin Wani Follow me for more information: Ali Ahmed JavaScript Mastery W3Schools.com #UXDesign #UIDesign #UserExperience #DesignThinking #MadDots #DesignTips #Usability #InterfaceDesign #CreativeProcess #DesignInsights

𝗧𝗼 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁: 𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗜𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 “Less is more!” is one of my favorite phrases when discussing presentations. It has long since become my mantra. Why is it relevant? Most experts want to fit a bunch of information into a limited amount of time. They fear critical comments, claiming they have forgotten or even omitted something. However, the art of the presentation lies in reducing content to its essentials. Recently in a training session, young researchers presented their posters. You have about three minutes in most poster sessions to summarize your topic. The most important and interesting information should arouse interest and stimulate questions and discussion. But each of the young researchers presented for eight minutes. Then, I introduced a time limit: in PechaKucha style, they could present only 20 seconds per aspect (title, introduction, methods, results, conclusion). The PhD students were amazed at what they could fit into in less than two minutes! That is exactly why my book “Science Pitch” includes the subtitle „Present your Research. Get to the Point“. How do you bring your power to the point in presentations?

You can buy Growth. You cannot buy Engagement. Too many companies burn through massive ad budgets forgetting this simple truth. When you pay for marketing, you are buying a transaction. You are paying to get someone to show up at your front door. That is top-of-funnel acquisition. But once they step inside? Whether they stay, return, and find deep value is entirely up to the product. You cannot bribe a user into genuinely caring about your platform. Engagement cannot be bought it has to be engineered. If you want to build sustainable, long-term retention without relying on an ad-spend crutch, you have to design engagement directly into the product architecture: Shrink Time-to-Value (TTV) The moment a user lands in your product, the clock is ticking. If they have to jump through ten hoops before experiencing an "Aha!" moment, they will churn. Deliver value instantly. Build Core Habit Loops Design a self-reinforcing ecosystem: Trigger: What brings them back? (An internal need or a well-timed, contextual prompt). Action: The simplest step they can take to get a reward. Variable Reward: Deliver fresh, unpredictable value that keeps them curious. Investment: Get the user to input data, time, or customization. The more they invest, the higher their switching cost becomes. Focus on Stored Value A product becomes irreplaceable when a user builds a history within it. Accumulated insights, personalized configurations, and historical data turn attention into equity. Buying growth without engineering engagement is like pouring water into a leaky bucket. It looks impressive while the tap is running, but the moment you turn off the marketing spend, you're left empty. Stop focusing purely on vanity metrics. Shift the energy from just acquiring traffic to building deep, repeatable utility. Create value that pulls people back. Build things that last. #GrowthHacking #ProductDesign #Startups #Retention #UserExperience