Hickslögmálið

Hickslögmálið, also known as the Hick-Hyman Law, is an empirical relationship in human-computer interaction that describes the time it takes for a person to choose among a set of options. Formulated by William Edmund Hick and later refined by Ray Hyman, the law states that the time required to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of available choices. In simpler terms, as the number of options grows, the time to select one increases, but at a diminishing rate.

The law is typically expressed as T = a + b log2(n), where T is the reaction time, n is the number of equally likely choices, and a and b are constants that depend on the individual and the specific task. The 'b' constant represents the rate at which reaction time increases with each additional choice, and the 'log2' indicates that the number of choices is measured in bits.

Hickslögmálið has significant implications for the design of user interfaces, particularly in areas like menu design, button layouts, and navigation systems. Designers aim to minimize the number of choices presented to users at any given time to improve efficiency and reduce cognitive load. While the law provides a useful theoretical framework, its practical application often involves considering factors beyond the number of options, such as the familiarity of the choices, their ordering, and the user's expertise. The law remains a fundamental principle in understanding human decision-making in response to stimuli.