Cognitive load builds up faster than teams expect. Every extra label, decision, and unnecessary step takes up working memory, and at some point users stop using your product because it feels like too much work.

pretty much

your brain hates blank space, so it fills it with the nearest sample: you

(1988).

think of it like designing a hotel room while standing in your own bedroom. everything feels obvious because you know where your socks are

annoyingly, no

asking helps, but the chapter is warning you about the gap between what feels true and what survives contact

Cowan, N. (2001). The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 24(1)…

yep. the task already uses part of the budget is the trap door

then it shows up as turbotax cut the extra work

(2001).

make the hidden assumption visible before the review starts

then test the behavior, not just whether the room nods

and if a choice only works for informed, patient, caffeinated people, treat that as a bug

that’s the series tbh

design psychology is mostly noticing the human nonsense before it ships

deal. hydrate first