In the context of web design, emotions play a fundamental role in how users perceive and interact with digital interfaces. Websites evoke complex emotional and social responses that influence attention, memory, and decision-making (Van Gorp & Adams, 2012, p.16). These responses allow us to assign meaning to digital experiences, shaping the way we relate to products and services. Therefore, all design is, inevitably, emotional design (Van Gorp & Adams, 2012, p.16).

Understanding these cognitive and emotional dynamics is essential for creating interfaces that reduce cognitive overload. An excess of graphic elements and disorganized information—lacking hierarchy, item relationships, patterns, consistency, and coherence—significantly increases the user's cognitive load. In the book The Laws of Simplicity (Maeda, 2006), the author emphasizes that simplifying is not merely about removing content, but about structuring information in a way that makes the user experience clearer and more meaningful. For Maeda, simplicity results from a balance between reduction and organization, and is achieved when one “subtracts the obvious and adds the meaningful” (Maeda, 2006, p.89).

John Maeda synthesizes ten laws and three keys to simplify and reduce cognitive load without sacrificing functionality and usability. These are:

Law 1. Reduce: Simplicity is achieved through thoughtful reduction of the unnecessary.
Law 2. Organize: Clarity increases when information is structured into groups or hierarchies.
Law 3. Time: Simplicity is also perceived through speed—more efficient interfaces feel simpler.
Law 4. Learn: Knowledge makes everything simpler.
Law 5. Differences: Simplicity stands out through contrast; not everything should be reduced to a minimum.
Law 6. Context: What lies in the periphery of simplicity is definitely not peripheral.
Law 7. Emotion: More emotion is better than less.
Law 8. Trust: In simplicity we trust.
Law 9. Failure: Absolute simplicity is unattainable; the balance between simplicity and complexity must be continuously negotiated.
Law 10. The One: Simplicity is about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful.

Key 1. Away: More appears like less simply by moving it far away.
Key 2. Open: Openness simplifies complexity.
Key 3. Power: Use less, gain more.
(Maeda, 2006, p.5).

In practice, this perspective translates into principles applicable to interface design, aimed at reducing cognitive load and increasing interface clarity. These include: (1) reducing the number of options presented to the user, avoiding so-called choice paralysis as well as redundant elements; (2) grouping similar content in a hierarchical and consistent manner, facilitating the perception of relationships between elements (Gestalt principles - proximity, similarity, continuity, past experience, among others); (3) using visual and typographic contrast to guide attention; and (4) relying on familiar interaction patterns to avoid requiring additional learning effort (Smashing Magazine, 2012). These practices not only simplify the user experience, but also increase user trust, allowing them to focus on what is most relevant and assign meaning to their interaction.

This approach is complemented by the guidelines of Van Gorp and Adams (2012) in their book Design for Emotion, where the authors emphasize: (1) the importance of clear navigation - where the user knows where they are, where they can go, and where they came from; (2) immediate feedback - such as links, buttons, and menus; (3) reducing distractions - identifying and minimizing elements likely to interfere with user flow; and (4) balancing the perception of challenge with the user’s skill level - assessing the visual design’s complexity in relation to the number of tasks and the resources users can access (e.g.: allowing users to increase or decrease the amount of detail displayed).

These rules and guidelines not only reduce cognitive load but also reinforce clarity and the overall flow of the experience. In this sense, usability does not depend solely on visual design, but also on how the design supports the user's mental processes throughout the interaction.

In summary, simplicity in UX design does not mean stripping interfaces of depth and value, but rather creating clear cognitive and emotional pathways that allow users to focus on what truly matters while ensuring usability. Reducing cognitive load - when combined with emotionally meaningful design - leads to experiences that are clearer, more effective, and more engaging.

"What’s the most important thing I should do if I want to make sure my website or app is easy to use?"

The answer is simple. It’s not “Nothing important should ever be more than two clicks away” or “Speak the user’s language” or “Be consistent.”

It is...

“Don’t make me think!”
(Krug, 2014, p.21)

References

Krug, S. (2014). Don't make me think, revisited: A common sense approach to web usability (3ª ed.). New Riders.

Johnson, J. (2010). Designing with the mind in mind: A simple guide to understanding user interface design guidelines (2nd ed.). Morgan Kaufmann.

Smashing Magazine (2012). Psychology of web design. Smashing Media.

Sweller, J., Ayres, P., & Kalyuga, S. (2011). Cognitive load theory. Springer.

Van Gorp, T., & Adams, E. (2012). Design for emotion. Elsevier.