From grimoire
Reduces cognitive load in learning materials, procedures, and interfaces by applying Sweller's theory to improve comprehension and performance.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/grimoire:design-cognitive-load-reductionThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Apply cognitive load theory to reduce extraneous processing demands in learning, procedures, and interface design — freeing working memory capacity for meaningful comprehension and skill development.
Apply cognitive load theory to reduce extraneous processing demands in learning, procedures, and interface design — freeing working memory capacity for meaningful comprehension and skill development.
Adopted by: John Sweller's cognitive load theory (1988) is one of the most cited frameworks in educational psychology and instructional design — with over 20,000 citations in academic literature. Richard Mayer's "Multimedia Learning" extends it to digital instructional design; it is the theoretical basis for learning design at Google, Khan Academy, and major e-learning platforms. UX designers apply cognitive load principles through Jakob Nielsen's heuristics and Don Norman's "The Design of Everyday Things." Impact: Research by Sweller and colleagues demonstrates that instruction that ignores cognitive load produces significantly worse learning outcomes, particularly for novice learners. A meta-analysis by DeLeeuw & Mayer (2008) found that reducing extraneous cognitive load improved learning outcomes by 0.8 standard deviations — a large effect by educational standards. The same principles applied to interface design show reduced error rates, faster task completion, and higher user satisfaction.
Intrinsic load: the inherent complexity of the material — the number of interacting elements that must be held in working memory simultaneously
Extraneous load: load imposed by the design of the materials or environment that does not contribute to learning
Germane load: the cognitive effort invested in building schema (long-term mental models)
The split-attention effect: when related information is spatially or temporally separated, learners must integrate the pieces using working memory — this is extraneous load
The redundancy effect: when the same information is presented in multiple formats simultaneously (text + full audio narration reading the text aloud), processing both streams creates interference
The coherence effect: adding interesting but irrelevant material (decorative images, background music, entertaining anecdotes) increases cognitive load without contributing to learning
Seductive details: facts, stories, or examples that are interesting but irrelevant to the core concept increase extraneous load and redirect attention
Worked examples (for novice learners): fully solved examples with explanatory steps reduce intrinsic load by providing the solution structure; learners study the example rather than problem-solving from scratch; meta-analysis shows worked examples outperform pure discovery for novice learners in most domains
Example-problem pairs: alternate worked examples with near-identical problems; completion problems (partially worked solutions requiring the learner to complete the final step) provide a scaffold between full examples and independent problems
Isolated elements before whole task: when a complex skill has multiple interacting components (e.g., driving = steering + braking + traffic awareness + navigation), teaching elements in isolation before combining them reduces the simultaneous intrinsic load
Expertise reversal effect: worked examples help novice learners but can hurt advanced learners (who find them redundant and distracting); adapt the load management strategy to the learner's level
Modality effect: combining visual information (diagrams) with audio narration produces better learning than combining visual information with on-screen text
Application:
Complex interfaces impose high intrinsic and extraneous load simultaneously:
npx claudepluginhub jeffreytse/grimoire --plugin grimoireAnalyses learning tasks for intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive load, then recommends specific design improvements. Use when instructions overwhelm students or materials need simplifying.
Applies cognitive load theory to simplify complex information, chunk content, and reduce working memory burden for learning design, communication, or system architecture.
Applies cognitive psychology principles (perception, attention, memory, Gestalt) to ground design decisions for interfaces, data visualizations, and presentations.