Let's open up my web browser with all my standard tabs.

I've got to open up my report in my slide deck.

Oh, I might need to reference this spreadsheet and better put on some music, too.

But before I get started, let's just play a quick game of Solitaire.

♪♪

We've probably all been in a situation like this.

The number of applications you're trying to run exceeds the computing power of your device, and it starts to slow down or crash.

Your brain works the same way.

We have a finite amount of mental resources or bandwidth to devote to any given task, and once that amount is met or exceeded, we tend to get overwhelmed or give up.

This concept is called cognitive load, and it's a critical one for designers to be aware of.

The cognitive load imposed by a user interface is the amount of mental resources that is required to understand and operate the system.

Because the human brain can't be upgraded like a slow computer, it's our job as designers to accommodate the limitations of our users' brains.

There are two types of cognitive load to be aware of, intrinsic and extraneous.

Intrinsic cognitive load can't be eliminated.

This is the effort that is required to keep track of goals and absorb new information.

Let's imagine that I'm checking my banking app to look at my account balances.

Intrinsic load is the brainpower needed to comprehend and take in those numbers once I see them.

Extraneous cognitive load, on the other hand, is all of the stuff that gets in the way of my goal and takes up my valuable limited brainpower.

Things like remembering my password, figuring out which account is which, or even understanding the text on the screen.

This is what designers should be working to minimize or eliminate.

Three quick tips for doing just that.

First, avoid visual clutter.

If it distracts the eye, it's going to distract the brain.

Remove things like irrelevant images or lavish typography that can slow down a user trying to complete their task.

Second, build on existing mental models.

Most of us have spent a lot of time browsing websites and software and have gotten used to a fair number of conventions.

Don't break those conventions if you don't have to.

If the conventional way works, that's probably how you should do it too.

And third, offload tasks.

Consider if there are any steps in the process that could potentially be handled by the interface itself, thus taking a little bit of the load off of the user.

Relying on biometrics instead of password entry or redisplaying previously entered information are great examples of offloading human tasks to machines.

So keep those designs simple and maybe even have a little more empathy for your poor sluggish computer.

Thanks for watching.

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