Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
10 TIPS TOminimise cognitive
load + maximise conversions
A presentation by1
2
Human brains work a lot like computers.
They have limited processing capacity & when
there is information overload, our performance
suffers.
Working Memory is the part of the brain that processes information &
solves problems.
3
But, like a computer, it has some limitations:
1. It can only hold information for a few seconds. 2. It can only hold 5-7 pieces of information at a time.3. It is easily distracted & works best when attention is controlled.
4Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
5
Working Memory is VERY prone to
Information Overload!
In the 1980’s, an Australian psychologist
John Sweller developed the theory of
Cognitive Load.
Cognitive Load: the mental effort required to learn new information, interpret a situation and act on it.
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me 7
The lower the cognitive load...
8
...the easier & faster a decision
can be made.
You can appreciate how good it feels for you when an experience requires low cognitive load but
have you ever thought about how much opportunity you have to influence the outcome of an experience
for someone else? (e.g. a customer or user of your product or service)
9Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
10
Picture working memory as having two emotional states. Cognitive Ease is when all is running well & as expected. Cognitive Strain is when it has to exert extra effort & concentration.
11
According to studies run by Nielson Norman Group:
“when people have to exert more energy in order to find
a piece of information or manipulate a feature
[cognitive strain], they can become more vigilant &
suspicious.”
Decreased confidence
in user’s actions/choices
Decreased trust
in the website/app
Decreased likelihood of user taking desirable
actions.
It takes time & effort to lower cognitive load
...but the more time you spend making your experience easier for the customer, the higher the likelihood they decide in your favour!
12Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
To be able to minimise it for customers, you will need to understand the 3 types of cognitive load:
➔ Intrinsic The inherent difficulty of the task or problem. You can’t alter this.
➔ Extraneous Extra load imposed by non-relevant elements that require extra mental processing but don’t help customers understand the content.
➔ Germane Elements that free up attention so it can be put towards processing information.
13Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
EXTRANEOUS
Irrelevant images
Uncommon Labels
Meaningless FontsIrrelevant Sounds
Too Many Clicks
Unfamiliar Layouts
Unfamiliar Layouts
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
GERMANE
Familiar Processes
Images That Explain
Recognisable IconsChunked Content
Meaningful Links
Summarised Text
Familiar Layouts
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Aim to present the information or experience in such a way that it reduces extraneous cognitive load (non-relevant distractions) & increases germane cognitive load (helps with information processing).
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me 16
10 Things You Can Tryto reduce cognitive load for your users & increase
your conversion rates.
17Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Present some information visually & some verbally.
● Humans have different processing channels for verbal & visual material.
● Each channel has a limited capacity.
● Spreading the load between both visual & verbal channels improves processing capacity.
Reduce Visual Clutter: avoid using irrelevant images & flourishes, misplaced or repetitive links & meaningless typography. If it doesn’t help the user achieve their goal - consider removing it.
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
21
Leverage existing mental modals. People already
have beliefs around how websites worked based on previous experiences.
Use layouts they are already familiar with to reduce effort spent learning
new processes.
• www.lucid.me
22
Use Familiar Labels. Avoid using terminology
unique to you for labels. Use familiar & recognisable words for navigation &
information organisation on your site.
Rely on recognition instead of recall: yes, people can hold up to 7 pieces of information in working memory but this doesn’t not mean you have to limit your website (your menu for example) to 7 items. This is because in most cases users don’t have to memorise the options, they just have to recognise the one that is relevant to them.
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
While relying on recognition over recall will allow you to
include more than 7 options, overwhelming them with too
many choices will make it more difficult for them to
make a decision resulting in reduced conversion rate for
you.
25
Reduce Choices by providing users with
fewer & pre-defined options to simplify their decision &
make it easier to follow through with a purchase.
26
Proctor & GambleReduced their Head & Shoulders range from 26 products to 15 and saw a 10% increase in
sales!
27
Categorise Products To make it easier for your
users to recognise what they are looking for & tell the
choices apart, divide large numbers of products into
categories.
28
Change the colourof links the user has visited. That way they won’t have to waste valuable processing power trying to remember where they have already
visited.
29
Reduce ClicksThe fewer the clicks your user has to be make to
achieve their goal, the less they have to think & the more
likely they are to decide in your favour.
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Make your response times FASTER. Working memory is easily distracted. Avoid having your users forget what they are doing while waiting for the page to load.
30Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Want to increase your focus, decrease distractions and minimise your cognitive load?
Copyright (c) 2016 Lucid Group Limited • www.lucid.me
Thank You!
IntroducingLucid Smart PillWe’ve spent the last 12 months formulating a hard-hitting nutraceutical supplement that stimulates receptors in the brain and improving performance & productivity for a full working day.
● Laser sharp focus● Better memory retention● Improved mental agility● Lasting mental vitality● Effects lasts up to 8 hours
Visit www.lucid.me to register your interest & find out more.
32
Sources / Additional ReadingNielson Norman Group - Reducing Cognitive Load.
Tech Crunch - Lightening The Cognitive Load.
Sheena Lyengar TED Talk - How to Make Choosing Easier.
eLearning Industry - 5 Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in eLearning
33Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Icon Credits - The Noun ProjectLady’s Face Icon - Justin Alexander, The Noun Project
Keyboard - Joris Hoogendoorn, The Noun Project
Lock / House / Camera / Envelope / Cart - Edward Boatman, The Noun Project
Credit Card - MD Delwar Hossain, The Noun Project
Gift - Lyudmil Dachev, The Noun Project
Heart - Rohith M S, The Noun Project
Truck - Kim Chouard, The Noun Project
Trash Can - Alexander Smith, The Noun Project
Calendar - iconsphere, The Noun Project
Pointing Finger - Ryan Dell, The Noun Project.
34Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me
Cursor - Johan Ronsse, The Noun Project
Fast Forward - Lloyd Humph, The Noun Porject
Timer - Melvin Poppelaars, The Noun Project
Male Profile - Creative Stall, The Noun Project
Happy Face / Annoyed Face - Jim Lears, The Noun Project
Speedometer - Mister Pixel, The Noun Project
Magnifying Glass - Pham Thi Dieu Linh, The Noun Project
Mobile Phone - Stefan De Haan, The Noun Project
Alert Brain - Icon Island, The Noun Project
Computer - P J Souders, The Noun Project
