The concept of 'cognitive load' refers to the total amount of mental effort being used in the working memory. In educational settings, instructional design aims to manage this load to optimize learning. According to cognitive load theory, learning is hindered when the working memory is overloaded with extraneous information that does not contribute to schema construction. However, intrinsic load, which is inherent to the complexity of the material, cannot be reduced without simplifying the content itself. Effective instructional strategies, such as worked examples and the split-attention effect, help to reduce extraneous load, thereby freeing cognitive resources for deeper processing. Recent research suggests that individual differences, such as prior knowledge and spatial ability, significantly influence how learners respond to these strategies, challenging the one-size-fits-all approach to instructional design.