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Miller's Law

Define​

The observation that the average human can hold around seven objects In working memory

Miller's Law (also known as The Magical Number Seven) is derived from a paper by cognitive psychologist George Miller, published in 1956. It states a human can have only 7 (plus or minus 2) pieces of information in their short-term memory at a single moment.

Miller's Law has been used to justify limiting the number of items in an interface or display, for example the number of links in a menu. However there is some disagreement around that application of the law. The law only applies when the options are held in memory rather than, for example, visible on screen. The exact number of items which can be held in working memory is also disputed.

Most agree that Miller's Law encourages the "chunking" of information into smaller, more logical groups, making it easier for users to remember, navigate, and choose between them.

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