Hick's Law

All tasks consist of four steps: identifying the goal, assessing the options, deciding on an option and implementation. Hick's Law applies to deciding on an option. It states that the time it takes to make a decision increases as the number of alternatives increases.

Hick's Law is actually a mathematic equation that was first presented in 1952 by W. E. Hick. It is used to predict, with remarkable accuracy, responses in particular situations. For instance, an airline pilot's average response time in an emergency can be computed based on the number of buttons he has the option of pushing. One button is the right one--but how long will it take him to assess and choose it? Getting past the math involved, the simple premise of Hick's Law can be applied to any design or process that has multiple options.

Hick's Law applied to design pushes us to simplify options and make the choices we present clear and efficient. Time-crucial tasks and those tasks in which errors can be critical problems can especially benefit from Hick's Law as the potential for errors increase and the number of choices increases.

The fewer the choices, the faster a decision can be made. Fewer choices forces the designer to be especially viligent to categorize and delineate options for the decision maker.

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