Marketing, sales & UX laws · law 039
Hick's Law
Also known as: Hick–Hyman law
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
what it means
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices.
How Hick's Law works
More options mean more thinking. On menus, websites, pricing pages, and forms, each extra choice slows people down and increases the chance they choose nothing.
Reducing, grouping, or highlighting options speeds decisions — which is why good menus, plan pages, and landing pages feel simple.
where it comes from
Psychologists William Edmund Hick (1952) and Ray Hyman (1953) showed that reaction time grows roughly logarithmically with the number of options.
Hick's Law examples in business
Pricing pages
A SaaS company cuts six plans down to three and sees more sign-ups.
Menus
A restaurant highlights four chef's specials on a long menu so diners decide faster.
Forms
A lead form with three fields converts better than one with twelve.
How to apply it
- 1Count the choices on your key pages, menus, and forms.
- 2Remove or hide options most customers do not need.
- 3Group remaining options into clear categories.
- 4Highlight a recommended choice to shortcut the decision.
common misreading
It applies to simple, comparable choices. Experts browsing a familiar catalogue may want more options, not fewer.
ask yourself
How many decisions does a customer have to make before they can pay you?
put it into practice
Frequently asked questions
What is Hick's Law?
The time it takes to make a decision increases with the number and complexity of choices. More options mean more thinking. On menus, websites, pricing pages, and forms, each extra choice slows people down and increases the chance they choose nothing.
Who came up with Hick's Law?
Psychologists William Edmund Hick (1952) and Ray Hyman (1953) showed that reaction time grows roughly logarithmically with the number of options.
How do you apply Hick's Law in business?
1. Count the choices on your key pages, menus, and forms. 2. Remove or hide options most customers do not need. 3. Group remaining options into clear categories. 4. Highlight a recommended choice to shortcut the decision.
What is a common misunderstanding of Hick's Law?
It applies to simple, comparable choices. Experts browsing a familiar catalogue may want more options, not fewer.