Minimize Cognitive Load + Maximize Conversions : 10 Tips

10 TIPS TO
minimise cognitive
load + maximise
conversions
A presentation by
1

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Human brains work a
lot like computers.
They have limited
processing capacity & when
there is information
overload, our performance
suffers.

Working Memory
is the part of the brain that
processes information &
solves problems.
3

But, like a computer, it has some limitations:
1. It can only hold information for a few seconds.
2. It can only hold 5-7 pieces of information at a time.
3. It is easily distracted & works best when attention is controlled.
4Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me

5
Working Memory is VERY prone to
Information Overload!

In the 1980’s, an Australian
psychologist
John Sweller
developed the theory of
Cognitive Load.

Cognitive Load: the mental effort
required to learn new information,
interpret a situation and act on it.
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me 7

The lower the
cognitive load...
8
...the easier &
faster a decision
can be made.

You can appreciate how good it feels for you when
an experience requires low cognitive load but
have you ever thought about how much opportunity
you have to influence the outcome of an experience
for someone else?
(e.g. a customer or user of your product or service)

10
Picture working memory as having two emotional states.
Cognitive Ease is when all is running well & as expected.
Cognitive Strain is when it has to exert extra effort &
concentration.

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According to studies run by
Nielson Norman Group:
“when people have to exert
more energy in order to find
a piece of information or
manipulate a feature
[cognitive strain], they can
become more vigilant &
suspicious.”
Decreased confidence
in user’s actions/choices
Decreased trust
in the website/app
Decreased likelihood of
user taking desirable
actions.

It takes time &
effort to lower
cognitive load
...but the more time you spend
making your experience easier for
the customer, the higher the
likelihood they decide in your
favour!

To be able to minimise it for customers, you will need to
understand the 3 types of cognitive load:
➔ Intrinsic The inherent difficulty of the task or problem. You can’t alter this.
➔ Extraneous Extra load imposed by non-relevant elements that require extra mental
processing but don’t help customers understand the content.
➔ Germane Elements that free up attention so it can be put towards processing
information.

EXTRANEOUS
Irrelevant images
Uncommon Labels
Meaningless Fonts
Irrelevant Sounds
Too Many Clicks
Unfamiliar Layouts
Unfamiliar Layouts
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me

GERMANE
Familiar Processes
Images That Explain
Recognisable Icons
Chunked Content
Meaningful Links
Summarised Text
Familiar Layouts

Aim to present the information or experience in such a
way that it reduces extraneous cognitive load (non-
relevant distractions) & increases germane cognitive
load (helps with information processing).
Lucid Smart Pill • www.lucid.me 16

10 Things You Can Try
to reduce cognitive load for your users & increase
your conversion rates.

Present some information
visually & some verbally.
● Humans have different
processing channels for verbal
& visual material.
● Each channel has a limited
capacity.
● Spreading the load between
both visual & verbal channels
improves processing capacity.

Reduce Visual Clutter: avoid using irrelevant
images & flourishes, misplaced or repetitive
links & meaningless typography. If it doesn’t
help the user achieve their goal - consider
removing it.

BBC News Header Redesign

21
Leverage existing
mental modals. People already
have beliefs around how websites
worked based on previous experiences.
Use layouts they are already familiar
with to reduce effort spent learning
new processes.
• www.lucid.me

22
Use Familiar Labels.
Avoid using terminology
unique to you for labels. Use
familiar & recognisable
words for navigation &
information organisation on
your site.

Rely on recognition instead of recall: yes, people can
hold up to 7 pieces of information in working memory
but this doesn’t not mean you have to limit your website
(your menu for example) to 7 items. This is because in
most cases users don’t have to memorise the options,
they just have to recognise the one that is relevant to
them.

While relying on recognition
over recall will allow you to
include more than 7 options,
overwhelming them with too
many choices will make it
more difficult for them to
make a decision resulting in
reduced conversion rate for
you.
25
Reduce Choices
by providing users with
fewer & pre-defined options
to simplify their decision &
make it easier to follow
through with a purchase.

26
Proctor & Gamble
Reduced their Head &
Shoulders range from
26 products to 15 and
saw a 10% increase in
sales!

27
Categorise Products
To make it easier for your
users to recognise what they
are looking for & tell the
choices apart, divide large
numbers of products into
categories.

28
Change the colour
of links the user has visited.
That way they won’t have to
waste valuable processing
power trying to remember
where they have already
visited.

29
Reduce Clicks
The fewer the clicks your
user has to be make to
achieve their goal, the less
they have to think & the more
likely they are to decide in
your favour.

Make your response
times FASTER.
Working memory is easily
distracted. Avoid having your users
forget what they are doing while
waiting for the page to load.

Want to increase your focus, decrease distractions and minimise your cognitive
load?
Copyright (c) 2016 Lucid Group Limited • www.lucid.me
Thank You!

Introducing
Lucid Smart Pill
We’ve spent the last 12 months formulating a hard-hitting
nutraceutical supplement that stimulates receptors in the brain
and improving performance & productivity for a full working
day.
● Laser sharp focus
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Visit www.lucid.me to register your interest & find out more.
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Sources / Additional Reading
Nielson Norman Group - Reducing Cognitive Load.
Tech Crunch - Lightening The Cognitive Load.
Sheena Lyengar TED Talk - How to Make Choosing Easier.
eLearning Industry - 5 Ways to Reduce Cognitive Load in eLearning

Icon Credits - The Noun Project
Lady’s Face Icon - Justin Alexander, The Noun Project
Keyboard - Joris Hoogendoorn, The Noun Project
Lock / House / Camera / Envelope / Cart - Edward Boatman, The Noun Project
Credit Card - MD Delwar Hossain, The Noun Project
Gift - Lyudmil Dachev, The Noun Project
Heart - Rohith M S, The Noun Project
Truck - Kim Chouard, The Noun Project
Trash Can - Alexander Smith, The Noun Project
Calendar - iconsphere, The Noun Project
Pointing Finger - Ryan Dell, The Noun Project.
Cursor - Johan Ronsse, The Noun Project
Fast Forward - Lloyd Humph, The Noun Porject
Timer - Melvin Poppelaars, The Noun Project
Male Profile - Creative Stall, The Noun Project
Happy Face / Annoyed Face - Jim Lears, The Noun Project
Speedometer - Mister Pixel, The Noun Project
Magnifying Glass - Pham Thi Dieu Linh, The Noun Project
Mobile Phone - Stefan De Haan, The Noun Project
Alert Brain - Icon Island, The Noun Project
Computer - P J Souders, The Noun Project

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