Hick's Law
Also known as Hick-Hyman Law
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of the choices available.
See it in action
The same screen without and with Hick's Law. Watch both sides play out, then compare the outcome.
Every extra option adds scanning time: the eye checks all twelve before the first tap.
Fewer, clearly labelled choices: the same task is decided in a fraction of the time.
What to watch: the gold scan line — it has to visit every option before a decision is made.
Cut, group or progressively reveal options so each screen asks for one easy choice.
Present every feature as an equal-weight option on the first screen.
Key takeaways
- Reduce the number of options at each decision point, especially for new users.
- Break complex choices into smaller sequential steps.
- Highlight a recommended path so most users don't have to compare everything.
Quick facts
- Also known as
- Hick-Hyman Law
- Described by
- William Edmund Hick & Ray Hyman
- Year
- 1952
- Category
- Decision-making
- Often confused with
- Fitts's Law (Hick's Law vs Fitts's Law), Choice Overload (Hick's Law vs Choice Overload)
- Related laws
- Choice Overload, Fitts's Law, Default Effect
Hick's Law explained
Hick's Law, also called the Hick-Hyman Law, states that the time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. Each additional option adds a little more time, following a logarithmic curve.
The law applies most clearly to simple choices where people must compare options one against another. When options are well organised (alphabetised, grouped or familiar), people can skip large parts of a list and decide much faster.
For product teams, Hick's Law is a reminder that every extra button, menu item or setting has a cost. Simplifying the choices at key moments speeds people up and reduces the risk that they stop altogether.
Where it comes from
Psychologists William Edmund Hick (1952) and Ray Hyman (1953) independently showed that reaction time grows roughly logarithmically with the number of equally likely choices — which is why the rule is also called the Hick-Hyman Law.
How it shows up in apps
Navigation menus, plan pickers and home screens packed with equal-weight options slow every decision. The law matters most when users are new and haven't yet learned where things are.
Hick's Law examples
A food-delivery app's home screen replaces 20 equal category tiles with a short 'Reorder' row and a handful of personalised suggestions, so most users find what they want in one tap.
Simple search home pages
Search engines that lead with a single input field let people act immediately, instead of making them choose among dozens of links before they begin.
Navigation menus
Reducing a top navigation from 12 items to 5 clearly labelled categories helps visitors choose where to go faster, with secondary links moved into dropdowns or the footer.
Remote controls and TV apps
Streaming apps typically show a handful of large options on a TV remote's screen rather than a dense grid, because each extra option slows down selection with a D-pad.
How to apply Hick's Law
- Reduce the number of options shown at key decision points such as navigation, onboarding and checkout.
- Highlight a recommended choice to give people a fast path.
- Group and order options logically so users can scan rather than compare every item.
- Break complex decisions into smaller steps with fewer choices each.
- Use progressive disclosure to hide advanced options until they are needed.
Want Hick's Law checked in your own product? Our mobile app ux audit evaluates it alongside the other principles that shape how users decide, onboard and stay.
Common mistakes
- Oversimplifying to the point of hiding options people need, which forces them to search or guess.
- Applying the law to choices that people make by recognition, such as picking a country from a well-ordered list, where many options are fine.
- Adding layers of nested menus to reduce visible options, which can increase total effort.
How to measure it
Measure time to first action and selection rates on screens with many choices, and test variants with fewer or better-organised options. Click maps show whether people scan many options before choosing or go straight to the one they need.
Frequently asked questions
What is Hick's Law?
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of the choices available.
Where does Hick's Law come from?
Psychologists William Edmund Hick (1952) and Ray Hyman (1953) independently showed that reaction time grows roughly logarithmically with the number of equally likely choices — which is why the rule is also called the Hick-Hyman Law.
How does Hick's Law apply to app design?
Navigation menus, plan pickers and home screens packed with equal-weight options slow every decision. The law matters most when users are new and haven't yet learned where things are.
What is the formula for Hick's Law?
Reaction time is commonly expressed as RT = a + b × log2(n + 1), where n is the number of equally likely choices and a and b are constants.
How is Hick's Law different from Fitts's Law?
Hick's Law is about how long it takes to decide which option to pick. Fitts's Law is about how long it takes to physically reach and hit the target once you have decided.
How do you measure Hick's Law in a product?
Measure time to first action and selection rates on screens with many choices, and test variants with fewer or better-organised options. Click maps show whether people scan many options before choosing or go straight to the one they need.
Sources
- Hick, W. E. (1952). On the rate of gain of information. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 4(1). Find on Google Scholar ↗
- Hyman, R. (1953). Stimulus information as a determinant of reaction time. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 45(3). Find on Google Scholar ↗
Related laws
Decision-makingChoice Overload
When people face too many options, deciding becomes harder and less satisfying — and they are more likely to choose nothing at all.
Interaction & speedFitts's Law
The time it takes to reach a target depends on its distance and size: bigger, closer targets are faster and easier to hit.
Decision-makingDefault Effect
People tend to stick with the pre-selected option, so defaults strongly shape what most users end up choosing.
Hick's Law in practice
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Certifications that test it
- Free certification · UX/UI, Design, Research & CreativeUX Design CertificationCertifies that you can take a product problem from user need to a tested, usable flow — research, information architecture, interaction design and usability evaluation.
- Free certification · UX/UI, Design, Research & CreativeMobile App Design CertificationCertifies that you can design native-feeling iOS and Android apps — platform conventions, navigation and gestures, touch ergonomics and accessibility, and performance, offline and permission flows.
- Free certification · UX/UI, Design, Research & CreativeInformation Architecture CertificationCertifies that you can structure content people can find — organisation schemes and labelling, navigation systems, card sorting and tree testing, and search.
- Free certification · Data Analytics & Business IntelligenceProduct Analytics CertificationCertifies that you can turn product data into decisions — metrics and instrumentation, funnels and conversion, retention and cohorts, and A/B testing and statistics.
- Free skill test · 10 minUX Psychology QuizA 10-minute quiz on the psychology behind UX: the cognitive, behavioural and perceptual laws of UX — Hick's law, Fitts's law, Jakob's law and more — and how to apply them.
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