The Rule of 7 & 2

A Commonly Misunderstood 'Rule' relating to Web Design and Navigation

This rule is one of the most important in the creation of web pages. It is also one of the most commonly misapplied.

The rule states that your brain cannot handle more than 7 items of information (give or take 2) at a time. If you apply this rule to visual design, the maximum number of menu items would, of course, be 9. However, the psychologist who formulated this rule was not interested in the amount of visual information people can perceive at a time, but the ability of the mind to retain information in the short term memory.

This has meant that many web-designers favour narrow, deep menu structures, thinking that this will present the information to the browser in a way they can interpret quickly. However, in creating a deep menu structure, the designer has unwittingly created too many levels for the short-term memory to easily recall. This is why it's so easy to get lost in many - if not most - menu structures.

At Website Magic, because we understand the true importance of the 7 +/-2 rule, we create broad, shallow menu structures, knowing full well that they won't 'visually overload' the browser, but will provide a clear, easily navigable system for your customers. You'll notice that our own menu to the left has exactly seven options, each of which has a menu 'depth' of only one.

In short, if your visitors don't get lost, they'll be more likely to come back...

 

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