Total amount of mental effort that is required to complete a task or learn new information.
Why does it matter?
The goal is to minimize cognitive load for users.
Figuring out the balance between overloading users while providing crucial steps is no simple task, but necessary to increase user performance.
Theoretical Examples
support short-term memory: marking completed tasks to separate them from tasks still left to do
recognition over recall: autocomplete forms, multiple choice, visuals over text
When making decisions, people use reference points to make judgments from. Oftentimes, people "anchor" or heavily rely on the first piece of information presented to them.
Why does it matter?
Anchoring bias could greatly impact the decision users end up making. This is especially important when it comes to selling and marketing products, services, and memberships to users.
Theoretical Examples
Non-profits provide a "suggested" amount to donate
3-tiered pricing approach: expensive, mid-range, and "cheap" pricing levels