Hick’s Law and the role of prior knowledge in choice

Whether to use a more deep menu with more initial choices or to use a hierarchy of multi-level shallow menus is not only guided by Hicks Law but also depends on user’s prior knowledge and experience about the domain and interface.

If users generally possess sufficient prior knowledge, they can work with more initial choices, such as an alphabetized list of all choices. If users vary in their prior knowledge or the conditions that determine choice vary, then a more hierarchical menu structure (with submenu levels) may be more efficient.

(Reference : http://programhouse.com/wordpress/?p=371)

You have to design a menu structure for ordering house-hold items from a mall directly to your home through a mobile phone interface. Categorize the items in whatever way you wish into menus and submenus. Design 3 alternative screens or menus for effectively ordering items from listed categories, making use of Hicks Law. Compare your designs by actually measuring the reaction time for various test cases and also using the Hick’s Law expression.