The principle of Recognition Rather than Recall states, “Minimize the user’s memory load by making elements, actions, and options visible. The user should not have to remember information from one part of the interface to another. Information required to use the design should be visible or easily retrievable when needed”.

Recognition is the ability to identify something as familiar. For example, passing someone in the street, you’ll probably won’t have an issue remembering whether you know this person or not.

Recall is the act of retrieving information stored in your brain. For example, you may not remember the person’s name, as it requires recall.

Note: If you enjoy understanding human psychology and how our brain works, the differences between these two processes is fascinating. Read more about recognition vs recall.

The key takeaway is recognition is easier than recall because it involves more cues. Thus, the more cues you can provide to your users, the more enjoyable the experience.

Here’s how you can apply this in Salesforce:

  • Display the “Recent Records” and/or “Recent Opportunities” widgets on the home page. This allows user to quickly pick up where they left off without having to use recall
  • If users need to complete a complex workflow, don’t provide all the instructions up front and then let them loose. Provide guidance every step of the way so they don’t need to remember those initial instructions.
  • When building a Visualforce Page or Lightning Web Component, use the Salesforce Lightning Design System. This system provides a library of common functionalities, so your custom interfaces look native.

The takeaway
Humans have limited short-term memories. Social media has further reduce our attention span. We need to take this into consideration and build designs that leverage recognition over recall.

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