Hicks Law CRO

Category: Marketing

What is Hick's Law?

Hick's Law is a psychological principle that states that the time required to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of possible choices.

The formula of the law is: RT = a + b log₂(n)

  • RT - reaction time (decision time)
  • a - constant time, independent of the number of choices
  • b - coefficient, specific to the task
  • n - number of equally likely choices
  • log₂(n) - binary logarithm of the number of choices

Key window for CRO:

More choices = Slower decision making = Higher probability of leaving

Application in CRO:

Navigation and menus

  • Limiting the number of points in the main menu
  • Grouping similar elements in categories
  • Using mega menus for complex websites
  • Prioritizing the most important options

Forms and payment processes

  • Reducing the number of fields in forms
  • Dividing long forms into several steps
  • Eliminating unnecessary fields and choices
  • Pre-filling possible information

Product pages and choice

  • Limiting the number of products on a page
  • Effective filters and sorting
  • Clear categories and subcategories
  • Recommendations and "best-selling" sections

Calls to action (CTA)

  • Limiting the number of CTA buttons on a page
  • Clear hierarchy of the importance of actions
  • Eliminating conflicting or repetitive CTA
  • Focusing on one main action on a page

Practical examples:

Good example: Simplified payment

Amazon's 1-Click ordering - one action instead of many steps and choices

Good example: Categorizing products

Best Buy groups products in clear categories with subcategories, instead of showing all products at once

Bad example: Too many CTA

Page with 10 different buttons “Buy now”, “Learn more”, “Download”, “Register” and etc. - this creates paralysis in decision making

Exceptions and nuances:

  • Expert users can prefer more options
  • Complex products may require more choices
  • Known choices are processed faster
  • When users know exactly what they want, more choices can be useful

Tips for application:

  1. Researching users - find out which options are most important for them
  2. Testing - A/B test different levels of complexity
  3. Progressive disclosure - show main options first, additional ones when needed
  4. Visual hierarchy - use size, color and position to order the choices
  5. Eliminating unnecessary - remove every option that is not absolutely necessary

Key conclusion for CRO:

Simplifying the choice does not always mean fewer options, but better organization and visualization of existing options. The goal is to reduce cognitive load and make decision making easier, without compromising functionality.