millers-law
Apply Miller's Law — chunk information into groups of about four to fit working memory. Use when grouping fields, menu items, or steps. For reducing the number of choices offered, use hicks-law.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill millers-law- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads millers-law automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
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
FAQ
What does the millers-law skill do?
Apply Miller's Law — chunk information into groups of about four to fit working memory. Use when grouping fields, menu items, or steps. For reducing the number of choices offered, use hicks-law.
How do I install millers-law?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/owl-listener/designer-skills --skill millers-law in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/millers-law/ (personal) or .claude/skills/millers-law/ (project).
Which AI agents can use millers-law?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is millers-law safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains millers-law?
It is published by owl-listener in owl-listener/designer-skills. It has 1,737 recorded installs.
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