Miller’s Law: Why Our Brain Likes Things in Small Chunks

Have you ever opened an app, seen too many options at once, and instantly felt tired?

Or tried to remember a long phone number and failed halfway?

That’s not because you’re careless or distracted.

It’s because of a psychological principle called Miller’s Law.

What Is Miller’s Law?

Miller’s Law comes from the work of George A. Miller, a cognitive psychologist.

Miller’s Law says:

The average human brain can hold about 7 items (plus or minus 2) in short-term memory at one time.

In simple words:

• Our brain cannot handle too much information at once
• When we overload it, performance drops
• Breaking information into small chunks makes things easier to understand

Why Miller’s Law Matters in UX and Everyday Life

People don’t process information the way machines do.

When users see:

• Too many menu items
• Long forms
• Overloaded screens
• Big blocks of text

Their brain gets tired quickly.

Miller’s Law helps designers and communicators:

• Reduce cognitive overload
• Improve clarity
• Make experiences feel lighter and smoother

Meet Brij

Brij is an everyday user.

He uses apps, websites, ATMs, forms, and dashboards—not because he loves technology, but because he has to.

Let’s see how Miller’s Law affects Brij’s daily experiences.

Digital Example 1: Too Many Options at Once

Brij opens an app.

On the home screen, he sees:

• 15 buttons
• Multiple sections
• Icons everywhere
• Too much text

He pauses.

His brain tries to process everything at once and fails.

This is what happens when Miller’s Law is ignored.

What the Brain Is Actually Doing

Brij’s brain is asking:

• What should I look at first?
• Which option is important?
• What can I ignore?

Instead of using the app, Brij is thinking about how to use the app.

That’s bad UX.

Digital Example 2: Chunked Information

Now Brij opens another app.

This time he sees:

• 4 main options
• Clear labels
• Logical grouping
• Step-by-step flow

He relaxes.

Why?

Because the app respects the brain’s limits.

Instead of throwing everything at once, it breaks information into manageable chunks.

That’s Miller’s Law working properly.

Real-Life Example: Phone Numbers

Think about phone numbers.

Why are they written like this?

98765-43210

Instead of:

9876543210

Because chunking makes information easier to remember.

The brain doesn’t remember 10 digits.

It remembers small groups of digits.

Real-Life Example: Forms and Documents

Brij needs to fill out a form.

One form shows:

• 25 fields on one page

Another form shows:

• 5 fields per step
• Clear progress indicator

Which one feels easier?

Even if both ask the same questions, the second one feels lighter because it follows Miller’s Law.

Miller’s Law in Content Writing

This law is not just for design.

It applies to:

• Blog posts
• Presentations
• Lectures
• Training material

Big paragraphs scare readers.

Breaking content into:

• Short sections
• Bullet points
• Clear headings

Makes information digestible.

Your reader’s brain will thank you.

Does Miller’s Law Mean “Always 7 Items”?

No.

The “7 ± 2” number is not a strict rule.

The real idea is this:

• Fewer choices = easier decisions
• Clear grouping = better understanding
• Less overload = better experience

Context matters, but simplicity always wins.

Final Thought

Miller’s Law reminds us of a very human truth:

Just because you can show everything

doesn’t mean you should.

Design, content, and systems should respect how the human brain works—not fight it.

Small chunks.

Clear steps.

Less noise.

That’s not dumbing things down.

That’s smart design.