The Myth

Most marketers assume that more information—more features, more benefits, more jargon—leads to better understanding and faster conversion. We think clarity means adding details. We believe that if we just say it clearly enough, users will grasp our value.

When people are forced to think too hard— their mental RAM is maxed out—they stop processing. They scroll away. They click “not now.”

And it’s not because they’re lazy. It’s because their brain is overloaded.

The Reality

Cognitive Load Theory (CLT), explains that human working memory has a limited capacity. When you overwhelm it, learning fails, decisions degrade, and attention collapses. The way you design messaging, onboarding, and sales collateral directly determines whether a user stays engaged—or bails.

CLT breaks mental effort into three types:

  • Intrinsic Load: The natural difficulty of the task (e.g., learning advanced calculus).
  • Extraneous Load: Unnecessary mental work caused by poor design (e.g., jargon, clutter, confusing text, etc).
  • Germane Load: The good mental effort that builds understanding and retention.

In marketing, our job isn’t to explain everything—it’s to minimise extraneous load, manage intrinsic load, and maximise germane load.

The Research

Science confirms what great design already intuits: simplicity wins.

  • Sweller (1988) introduced Cognitive Load Theory, showing that learning and decision-making break down when demands exceed working memory capacity. Later research estimates that capacity at roughly 3–4 chunks (Cowan, 2001). Overload it, and comprehension drops.
  • Mayer (2001) demonstrated that people learn better from words paired with relevant visuals than from words alone — provided extraneous cognitive load is minimised. This is why clear visual explanations and guided onboarding outperform dense text.
  • Vessey & Galletta (1991) proposed Cognitive Fit Theory: users perform better when information is presented in a way that matches their task and mental representation. When interfaces fight users’ mental models, even powerful features feel hard to use.
  • Treisman & Gelade (1980) showed that simple visual features capture attention automatically, while complex recognition requires focused attention — grounding the importance of visual hierarchy and contrast in interface design.

In marketing, these aren’t abstract academic ideas. They show up directly in activation, adoption, and conversion.

Real Life Examples

Landing Page UX

  • Goal: Zero extraneous load
  • Bad: Multiple value props competing, dense paragraphs, 6 CTAs, feature lists before context.
  • Good: • One core promise • One primary CTA • Visual hierarchy • Scannable copy
Rule: If a visitor has to think about what you do, you’ve already lost them.

2. Onboarding Flow

  • Goal: Onboarding is about germane load — teaching just enough.
  • Bad: • Full product tour on first login • 12-step setup checklist • Empty states with no guidance
  • Good: “Do one useful thing first” • Contextual tips • Templates or defaults
Rule: Don’t explain everything. Help them achieve one early win.

3. Enterprise ABM Campaign

  • Goal: Keep it simple
  • Bad: Enterprise buyers are drowning in intrinsic load—security reviews, procurement, stakeholder alignment. Don't assume they'll read your security docs themselves
  • Good: Provide pre-filled compliance templates, ROI calculators, and industry-specific case studies.
Result: Faster sales cycles, fewer internal objections, higher deal velocity.

4. Content Marketing: The TL;DR That Converts

  • Goal: Break content into digestible chunks.
  • Bad: Long-form content builds authority. These fail because readers abandon them when they hit a mental wall.
  • Good: Use lists, visuals, and a clear TL;DR.
Result: 3x higher completion rates. Readers remember the message because they processed it.

The Implications

If you’re not designing for cognitive load, you’re losing customers.

Every page, every message, every onboarding screen, every sales deck—should be judged not by how much you say, but by how little mental work it demands.

Remember:

  • One page, one job No feature dumps. No competing value props. Just one promise, one CTA.
  • One screen, one primary action Don’t ask users to choose between 5 options. Guide them.
  • Default options over configuration screens Let users customise later. Start with simplicity.
  • Progressive disclosure over information dumpsShow only what they need—right now.

These aren’t design tips. They’re cognitive survival strategies.

Closing Thought

The most powerful message isn’t the one you deliver—it’s the one they remember without trying. When you reduce extraneous load, you don’t just improve UX—you unlock trust, speed up adoption, and win deals.

After all you've heard it before
Less is more.