Test your working memory
You'll see a sequence of numbers. Memorize them, then type them back.
Each round increases the sequence length. How far can you go?
What you're experiencing
Miller's Law comes from cognitive psychologist George Miller's 1956 paper "The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two." It describes the limits of our short-term memory capacity.
Most people can hold between 5 and 9 items in working memory at once. Beyond that, information starts to fall out.
UX implications:
- Chunk information into groups of 5-9 items
- Break long forms into smaller steps
- Limit navigation menus to 7 items or fewer
- Use chunking for phone numbers, credit cards, etc.
Chunking helps: "4 8 3 9 2 7 1 5" is harder than "48-39-27-15" even though it's the same information.