What is autocomplete in UX design?
Autocomplete is an input enhancement that predicts what a user is typing and offers one or more suggested completions in real time. As the user types, the system displays matching options drawn from a predefined list, a database, or previous inputs. The user can select a suggestion to complete the input without typing the full value, reducing effort and eliminating errors from misspellings or imprecise recall. Autocomplete is used in search fields, address inputs, tag fields, form fields with known value sets, and command interfaces.
What is the difference between autocomplete and autosuggest?
Autocomplete completes what the user has already started typing, offering to finish the current input based on known values. Autosuggest offers related options or alternatives based on the user's input, which may differ from what the user typed. A search field that completes "New Y" to "New York" is autocomplete. A search field that suggests "New York hotels" and "New York flights" in response to "New York" is autosuggest. In practice the terms are often used interchangeably, and many implementations combine both behaviors.
How does autocomplete reduce cognitive load?
Autocomplete reduces cognitive load by shifting the burden from recall to recognition. Instead of requiring users to type complete values from memory, autocomplete shows matching options that users can identify and select. This aligns with the recognition over recall principle: it is easier to recognize the right option when you see it than to retrieve it from memory without a prompt. It also reduces errors by constraining input to valid values when the option set is predefined.