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.”