Effective Web
Design Psychology
An effective web design psychology that may apply when designing a website.
Visual Hierarchy
1. Layout
Guiding the user’s eyes towards the focus of the site in a logical hierarchy.
Patterns
Our brains are hardwired to pick up patterns hence websites should follow an distinguishable concept.
Space
Keeping significant negative space without too much cluttered text.
Navigation
Our brains are hardwired to pick up patterns hence websites should follow an distinguishable concept.
Typography
Legible and appropriate fonts should be used to establish the tone of writing.
2. Colour Psychology
Highlight important web content but use sparingly to avoid compromising the brand.
Blue
Popular colour that represents trustworthy and calm. Used by many big brands, tech and finance companies.
Yellow & Orange
Both are associated with friendly, warm and energetic vibes which draws in the user.
Green
One of the easiest colours on the eyes and easily represents health, freshness and environment.
Black
The preferred colour for luxury products. It conveys elegance, drama & formality.
Read our breakdown on what kind of colour evoke an user’s emotions.
3. Fonts
The right typeface helps to establish the tone of the writing.
Helps to give the impression of heritage and authority. These works well for news and law firms.
A modern and clean aesthetic that is often used by companies and social networks.
This should only be used for children.
Read more about font pairings here.
Mindset
4. Establishing trust
Security
Additional protection through a payment gateway or third party SSL should be stated.
Contactable
Be available. Useful contact information should be provided.
Goals
Have a clear goal to avoid confusion for the users.
5. Recognition
‘Human-Touch’
Help to humanise the website by mentioning the user’s name.
Interactive
Enable social media sharing & reviews to help them feel connected thus spending more time on the site.
Reliance
Showcase ratings, endorsements in commerce sites when pushing a sale.
Positive Social Psychology
Notifications
Encourage users to check for updates by use of popups, colours and clever sounds to make events more significant.
Rewards
Social recognition for users who are rewarded for sharing the photos or posts at the cost of their time.
Incite Motivation
Emotional content drives more sharing and action.
Identify
Identify an user’s likes and use the data for research on conversion.
Gathering Data
Having user registration is also a form of securing user data.
Conclusion
Often it is the job of the web designer to understand the psychology of their designs. By understanding the visitor’s perception, you have the advantage to effectively craft a conducive experience that appeals to them and even turn them into potential customers.