Miller's Law
The average person can hold 7 (±2) items in working memory at one time.
What it means on a web page
Lists, menus, and form sections with more than 7–9 items can exceed what people comfortably hold in working memory, so earlier items are easier to forget.
In long lists people may forget earlier items or skip over options.
This describes a general tendency. How much it matters on a particular page depends on the page and the people using it.
Does theuxbites check this?
Yes. Every audit runs a fixed check for it on the page as a browser renders it. When the check fails, the report names this principle, shows what was counted on your page and links the source below.
Suggestions
Chunk content into groups of 5–7 items. Use sections, progressive disclosure, or pagination.
- Break long lists into categorised groups of 5–7
- Split long forms into logical steps or sections with <fieldset>
- Use search or filter instead of long dropdown lists
- Highlight the most relevant options; hide the rest behind "Show more"
- Test with real users: ask them to recall 3 items from a list after 10 seconds
These are common ways to apply the principle, not rules. Whether one fits depends on your page.
See how your page does
An audit checks this principle and eight others on your page, together with speed, accessibility, SEO and AI visibility.