Article · 7 min read
Memory Recognition and Recall in User Interfaces
Raluca Budiu · Nielsen Norman Group Free Beginner
Human short term memory is tiny, so making people remember things across screens is a hidden tax on your product. This explains why showing options beats making users recall them, with examples like visible menus over blank command lines. A concrete lens for reducing the thinking a user has to do.
- Recognition is easy, recall is hard, so keep options visible
- Do not make users remember information from a previous screen
- Context and cues help users retrieve what they need
