The paradox of choice

For each menu, sub-menu, etc., aim for a maximum of six to eight menu items. Research shows that our brains can generally process roughly 7±2 items at once. More than that, and we tend to get confused, miss things, or forget the first few items by the time we get to the last ones.

In the same vein, site editors are sometimes tempted to plaster their pages with links, so that everything is just one click away. But the paradox of choice dictates that these overwhelming options can paralyze visitors, and make your site all but unnavigable. Imagine standing in a grocery aisle, staring at 50 brands of dish soap. Where do you start?

A good menu should answer that question for you: not by removing choices, but by organizing them in a way that makes sense. Say you're a student visiting the Faculty of Zoology's website, and you want a list of the faculty's academic advisors. A clear path might be:

Home page —> Services for students —> Academic advising —> Meet our advisors

That's just three clicks, and each time the user selects an option, his next step is clear. Now imagine navigating a menu like this one:

Granted, this second menu is terrible. But it illustrates the point: do you click on Advising, or Student Services? Staff directory, or Contact Us?