UX principle #6 - recognition over recall.

‍

Continuing in the same vein, today we’ll give you some examples of how to reduce cognitive load through recognition. This means, in very simple terms, recognise what the user is trying to do, don't make them recall information.

Let’s talk about Uber. Uber are very good at making an educated guess of the user’s intention. Every morning, around 7am, I take an Uber to work. Now this is where it gets interesting. When I open the app in the morning to summon my driver, Uber makes an educated guess that I’m traveling to work.

They simply suggest my office location as the destination to save me typing it in. That’s not to say Uber don’t get it wrong from time-to-time, but when they get it right, it reduces the amount of mental effort needed to complete the task, and they make their customers happy.

‍

‍

You can take an educated guess to help the user rather than make them do all the work. It might not always be right, but when it is, you've got happy customers. Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

Tomorrow on the blog, error prevention.

‍