Learning Code #3 Lightens the Load
Don’t Over-Pack Your Consumer’s Cognitive Backpack
In this article, we’ll have a look at how Learning Code 3 helps us avoid over-packing that cognitive “backpack” and how it applies to marketing strategy.
Cognitive load theory is rooted in the study of human cognition. It’s based on the premise that our working memory has a limited capacity. Working memory is the brain’s temporary storage system. Imagine it as a small workspace in your mind where information is held briefly before being processed. It’s essential for tasks like reasoning, learning, and comprehension. However, this space is limited. Think of it as a tiny backpack – more like a fanny pack – in your frontal lobe that can only hold a few items at a time. If this fanny pack gets overloaded with stuff, new stuff can’t be added and often just falls out and gets lost.
There are 3 Types of Cognitive Load:
- Intrinsic: The inherent complexity of the information.
- Extraneous: The mental effort due to the way information is presented.
- Germane: The mental effort used in the mapping of memory formation.
By reducing extraneous cognitive load and optimizing intrinsic and germane load, marketers can enhance information processing and user experience.
The Impact of Cognitive Overload
When working memory is over-packed, it can lead to a few major issues:
- Loss of Information: Important details may get "knocked out" to make space for new ones, leading to forgetting crucial information.
- Increased Stress: Overloading can cause stress, which further impairs the ability to process and retain information. High stress can cause what’s known as “neural static,” where the brain becomes overwhelmed and starts processing information inefficiently.
- Reduced Learning Efficiency: The brain's ability to convert working memory into long-term memory is compromised, making learning less effective, and, in a marketing context, making consumer conversion less likely.
Strategies to Prevent Over-Packing Working Memory
There are myriad strategies to manage cognitive load in marketing:
- Keep messages simple, clear, and concise. Avoid using jargon or complex language that could confuse or overwhelm the audience.
- Consider the design of your marketing materials. Leverage space to break up information into bite-sized pieces that are easier to digest.
- Consider the timing and frequency of each piece of your campaign. Drip it to your audience, don’t flood them out.
- Use visuals to support your messaging. A picture is worth a thousand words, no? Similarly, an often forgotten nuance is the font you choose. Content font should be visually pleasing, clear, and legible to improve readability.
Tools to Assess Whether Your Marketing Strategy is Managing Cognitive Load Efficiently
Here are some techniques to put to the task of assessing whether your marketing strategy is taking consumer cognitive load into consideration:
- User Surveys: These can be a simple and very effective way to guage cognitive load. Ask your users for candid feedback on what their experience with your marketing campaigns has been like.
- User Behavior Data Analysis: Read between the lines of the user behavior data you have on hand, and see if you can find patterns that indicate cognitive overload, like bounce rates or low page viewing times.
- And, yes, we know you knew it was coming…A/B Testing: An always reliable method for helping you find the optimal balance of information feed and cognitive load.
Learning Code #3: Key Takeaways
By understanding and managing cognitive load, CoreCentrica ensures marketing strategies are built to enhance user experience and improve conversion rates. Integrating Learning Code 3’s considerations of cognitive load allows us to assess content and identify problematic areas where cognitive load might be too high. Now, the goal is not to empty that cognitive backpack completely, it’s to strike the right balance that will engage consumer minds without overwhelming them. In doing so, campaigns resonate, stick, and convert.
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