Hick's Law

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Hick's Law

It's easier to make decisions with fewer choices.

Featured in 1 UX Bite

Similar psychology:

Likely impacts:

Complexity & Understanding

Purchases

Input Quality

Last updated: 23/09/2026

How to utilise this in your designs

You could tackle meal decision fatigue with curated, shareable lists of meals, so users choose from a short set rather than a full menu, easing Hick's Law.

EatLists UI on Swiggy app: intro modal with orange "Proceed" button, explaining favorite dish recommendations; main screen shows three Eatlists categories with food images.

Example from

Swiggy

You could limit a choice to three sizes, add a visual description of each, and auto-recommend one based on the item, leaving fewer decisions to make (Hick's Law).

Dark mode parcel size selection UI shows radio buttons for Small, Medium, Large parcels; Large is selected with a green "Recommended" label and link to sizing details.

Example from

Vinted

Try offering an optional simple mode that shows fewer options at once, with larger buttons and clearer labels, so each screen carries fewer choices (Hick's Law).

Uber app UI shows Simple Mode toggle with feature benefits. Main screen has search "Find a trip," shortcuts, services "Reserve a trip for later" and "Request a trip" underlined in orange.

Example from

Uber

You could experiment with a checkout calculator that estimates how much to buy for the user's routine, turning an open-ended quantity choice into one suggestion (Hick's Law).

Precision Hydration UI shows product PF 30 GEL, quantity 4 GELS, price £9.49, 5-star rating (2947). "HOW MUCH FUEL DO I NEED?" button opens a guide on 30-60g carb per hour.

Example from

Precision Hydration

Try hiding input suggestions as the user's query gets longer, since extra options may only add choices once they already know what to ask (Hick's Law).

Three ChatGPT mobile screens show a typed query progression: "Where can I find examples," then adding "of really," then full "Where can I find examples of really great UX? On the web, online, or just about anywhere?" Arrows link the text changes. Suggestions like "doj releases epstein files" appear under the query on the first two screens. The "Focus" filter button and "Pro" subscription label are visible. The keyboard layout changes from alphabets to numbers on the third screen. A red pen 'x' marks the second screen phrase "of really."

Example from

Perplexity

Possible impacts

Trimming the number of options, e.g., service tiers, could increase conversion rates, as Hick's Law suggests people are less likely to freeze and choose nothing.

As seen in:

Precision Hydration Carbs per hour

Presenting fewer, well-explained options might help users better understand the consequences of each choice, rather than struggling to compare many similar variants.

As seen in:

Vinted Small, Medium or Large?

Uber Uber's simple mode

Using careful defaults to remove decisions could increase purchases, as Hick's Law suggests fewer choices may shorten the time users take to commit to buying.

As seen in:

Swiggy Choosing what to eat

Limiting the choices in user research or forms may improve the quality of user input, as too many options can leave people giving worse data (Hick's Law).

As seen in:

Vinted Small, Medium or Large?

Precision Hydration Carbs per hour

Written by Peter Ramsey

Consultant to 100+ companies

Published: 25/08/2023

How to utilise this in your designs

You could tackle meal decision fatigue with curated, shareable lists of meals, so users choose from a short set rather than a full menu, easing Hick's Law.

Example from

Swiggy

You could limit a choice to three sizes, add a visual description of each, and auto-recommend one based on the item, leaving fewer decisions to make (Hick's Law).

Example from

Vinted

Try offering an optional simple mode that shows fewer options at once, with larger buttons and clearer labels, so each screen carries fewer choices (Hick's Law).

Example from

Uber

You could experiment with a checkout calculator that estimates how much to buy for the user's routine, turning an open-ended quantity choice into one suggestion (Hick's Law).

Example from

Precision Hydration

Try hiding input suggestions as the user's query gets longer, since extra options may only add choices once they already know what to ask (Hick's Law).

Example from

Perplexity

Possible impacts

Trimming the number of options, e.g., service tiers, could increase conversion rates, as Hick's Law suggests people are less likely to freeze and choose nothing.

As seen in:

Precision Hydration Carbs per hour

Presenting fewer, well-explained options might help users better understand the consequences of each choice, rather than struggling to compare many similar variants.

As seen in:

Vinted Small, Medium or Large?

Uber Uber's simple mode

Using careful defaults to remove decisions could increase purchases, as Hick's Law suggests fewer choices may shorten the time users take to commit to buying.

As seen in:

Swiggy Choosing what to eat

Limiting the choices in user research or forms may improve the quality of user input, as too many options can leave people giving worse data (Hick's Law).

As seen in:

Vinted Small, Medium or Large?

Precision Hydration Carbs per hour