People don't want to think more than they have to
The Principle of Least Effort
I recently gave a talk on Psychology and UX. My goal was to present a number of principles (or learnings) from psychological science that can help us design better experiences. In order to achieve that we need to understand our users and their limitations. The best way to do this is by conducting user research but insights from psychology can also provide us with useful information to get started.
Humans are capable of impressive things; our brains are quite remarkable and can process complex information. However, most of the time we don’t want to think too hard (or too much) unless it’s necessary. In a way, we are all a bit lazy by nature… or you can think of it as “energy-efficient”. When we have to do something that can be solved in multiple ways, we are likely to choose the path of least resistance and choose the least cognitively demanding action. This isn’t something we choose to do consciously and it doesn’t only apply to humans. All organisms appear to follow that principle — anyone with cats can vouch for that.
The principle of least effort was first discovered in 1894 by Guillaume Ferrero, a French philosopher but became more well known in 1949 when an American professor of philology (study of the history of language), George Kingsley Zipf, wrote about it in his book ”Human Behavior and the Principle of Least Effort”. This is why it is sometimes known as Zipf’s Law.
“It is human nature to want the greatest outcome at the least amount of work”
The principle of least effort has been observed in various fields such as information seeking (e.g., searching for information online) and language.
Evolutionary science has a potential explanation for this. Conserving energy was really important throughout our evolution. When there’s no way of predicting where your next meal is coming from, consuming the least amount of energy possible is key to survival. Of course, that’s not a problem most of us are facing today but this behaviour is deeply ingrained in our genes so we’re still guided by it.
This principle also applies to the way we make decisions, form judgements, and solve problems. According to dual-process theories of thinking we have two competing processes of thinking:
Type 1: A quick and easy processing mode that follows the principle of least effort. This type of thinking is completely unconscious and automatic. An example of this is quick decisions we make by following our gut.
Type 2: A slow and more difficult rule-based processing mode that requires more effort. This type of thinking is conscious and deliberate and is much slower and energy-demanding than type 1.
Research has shown that humans prefer using Type 1 thinking whenever possible as it’s easier, faster, and requires less effort. Type 2 thinking, on the other hand, is more cognitively demanding and effortful.
What does this mean for UX?
In terms of UX, this means that users are more likely to appreciate experiences that are perceived as seamless, effortless, and don’t require them to think (unnecessarily) — experiences requiring Type 1 processing. The principle of least effort plays a big role in the way we search for information online. Research has shown that most users don’t go beyond the first 5-10 results they see when they conduct a Google search.
Another example of this comes from a recent personal experience of mine. If you like cooking and spend time reading online recipes you probably have experienced something similar! I was looking for a recipe on my phone and after quickly skimming through the results I identified a website that looked promising. I clicked on it but instead of being given the option to “jump to recipe” I had to scroll through blocks of endless text, videos, and adverts, and look for the recipe. Naturally, upon realising this I gave up and went back to Google to try a different website. Searching through that first page to find the recipe would require type 2 thinking so unconsciously I decided to try a different website instead. It was easier to find an alternative recipe than to use conscious, deliberate thinking.
What can we do about it?
There’s no shortcut or easy solution that will work for every product or service! There are a few things to keep in mind:
It is important to understand your users and their goals in order to create a seamless experience. What are they trying to achieve and why? User research is your friend in succeeding in this (as always)!
Work on your UX copy to ensure it’s unambiguous and action-focused.
Create clear and visible navigation.
Ensure the links, look clickable!
Avoid clutter and unnecessary elements in the UI. Don’t be afraid of using white space.