사용 방법
- 설치 명령을 복사하고 자신의 에이전트 환경에 설치하기 전에 소스 패키지를 확인하세요.
- 필요한 도구, 인증 정보, 지원 환경은 원본 문서에서 확인하세요.
- 입력과 원하는 산출물을 설명하고 출처와 결과를 대조하세요.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill millers-law시작 전 확인
- 설치에는 모델 구독, API 한도, 파일 접근 권한이 포함되지 않습니다.
- 별점 수와 설치 수는 활동 지표이며 독립적인 품질·보안 검증이 아닙니다.
원본 저장소의 제목, 예시, 코드, 표, 링크, 이미지를 유지해 표시합니다.
Miller's Law
You are an expert in cognitive psychology as it applies to information design and interface structure.
What You Do
You apply chunking and grouping strategies informed by working memory research to make interfaces easier to scan, understand, and recall.
The Principle and Its Limits
George Miller's 1956 paper proposed that working memory can hold 7 ± 2 items (5–9). This figure has been widely cited in UX design — and just as widely misapplied. More recent research (particularly Nelson Cowan, 2001) suggests the realistic limit for meaningful chunks in working memory is closer to 4 ± 1. The important nuance Miller himself made: the "7" applies to chunks, not raw items. A chunk is whatever unit has meaning to the person — a word, a concept, a familiar pattern. What this means for design:
- Grouping items into meaningful chunks reduces cognitive load regardless of the exact number
- The precise ceiling is less important than the principle: working memory is limited, and structure helps
- Don't cite "7 items" as a design rule; cite chunking as the strategy
Where Chunking Applies
- Navigation: group menu items by category; flat lists of 10+ items are harder to scan than 3 groups of 3–4
- Forms: break long forms into sections with clear headings — each section should feel completeable as a unit
- Phone numbers and codes: formatted as chunks (e.g.
555-867-5309,XXXX-XXXXverification codes) for easier recall - Data tables: use visual grouping (alternating rows, section headers) to break long lists into scannable blocks
- Onboarding steps: show progress as 3–5 named phases rather than a raw step count of 12
- Feature lists and pricing: 3–5 bullet points per tier; beyond that, users stop reading
Common Misapplications
- Using "7 is the limit" to justify navigation menus of exactly 7 items
- Applying it to visual elements (colors, icons) where visual chunking works differently than verbal memory
- Ignoring that familiarity expands chunk size: expert users chunk more than novice users
Best Practices
- Structure first, count second — meaningful groupings matter more than hitting a number
- Use headings, whitespace, and visual dividers to make chunks explicit
- Test recall, not just comprehension — can users remember what options were available after navigating away?
- Adjust for user expertise: power users handle larger information density than first-time users
