How to Design the Best Table Filters

The cognitive cost of filter overload

Data tables are the most reliable way to organize and present information on application interfaces. However, navigating all this information is difficult without simple, fast, and user-friendly filters.

Unfortunately, most applications have poorly designed filters that result in cognitive overload. The most common approach is to place multiple dropdown menus above the table. However, users become overwhelmed when they see too many choices and take longer to decide.

This indecision is described by the Hick-Hyman Law, which asserts that the "time it takes for a person to make a decision increases logarithmically with the number of choices they have (source)." Even if your goal isn't to help users choose faster, reducing clutter has other benefits outside of speed.