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Miller’s Law says to limit lists to 7 items or fewer

By July 25, 2022December 7th, 2022No Comments

Miller’s Law

The number of objects an average human can hold in working memory is 7 ± 2.

 

Do this

Follow Miller’s Law when showing lists, such as when you’re listing features on page or building groups in your navigation (e.g., “Checking, Savings, Certificates, Money Market” under “Accounts”). Each list should contain about 7 items or fewer.

 

Why

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two is one of the most highly cited papers in psychology. It was published in 1956 in Psychological Review by the cognitive psychologist George A. Miller of Princeton University’s Department of Psychology. It is often interpreted to argue that the number of objects an average human can hold in working memory is 7 ± 2. This is frequently referred to as “Miller’s Law.”

 

Additional Reading

The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two