Human psychology is a science. A study of emotional and behavioral characteristics.
Both human psychology and web design are processes of our society, one of an individual and the other of a digital nature. So, the question is does human psychology really affect web design?
You may wonder if the two are really related…
The answer is revealed in the recent case studies conducted of how people see versus view online sites. There’s been proven techniques that add value to today’s websites. Features that must be included to function within the running site. This also includes the use of basic application visual design principles. But what about human opinion? What about a genetic makeup of a person? Can this also have an affect on how they perceive a given webpage? Though we can’t cover in this article everyone’s personal definition of “good design” we’d like to consider three areas in which human psychology continues to have a large impact on websites.
In Content and Layout.
The way we are made, we are influenced by the perception our eyes “see” versus the way our brain “views” content. Our ever-increasing tech driven world and fast-paced daily life is changing the way people search for and receive content. Unlike the early web days of Flash-loading websites and fancy animations, the average person’s patience level and response to such website would be to leave your site and not wait for loading to take them to your homepage. Now people’s makeup requires access to a website quickly and simply. This requires web design to follow the old adage less is more in design and functionality. This includes enabling faster load speeds and basic code frameworks.
What about the layout of a webpage? There’s still great advantages to hiring a professional web team to design and test the effectiveness of your user interface and experience. A few things to keep in mind: people like easy to read, clean looking pages. No clutter! The use of “white space” has become increasingly popular to give your viewer a visual break from text and images. White space also contributes to an overall more enjoyable user experience because it evokes a feelings of cleanliness and comfort.
The Color Scheme.
Colors are known to affect people’s feelings. The color of your website can determine your user’s mood and if they will return to use your site at a future time. Red and purple are strong and have been shown to excite and urge viewers! Orange is friendly and inviting. Blue is safe, secure and professional. Green is powerful. And the list continues with each color palette. Using the right colors on your site stimulate the right human senses and can spurn your web user to action!
Typography Usage.
Clean, pretty type (thanks to Steve Jobs), has opened a new door of possibilities for web type. Choosing a typeface that will match the tone of your site is important. Recent sans-serif fonts are used more commonly for both header and body type. Serif fonts tend to look too traditional and boring. Read more typography tips here. Remember, your letter spacing (kerning) and line spacing (leading). Proper spacing and paragraph breaks keeps your audience reading your article.
So what do you think?
Mark Twain once said “There is a great deal of human nature in people.” Haha, how true! And people’s natures and makeups continue to influence the way they view information. Keeping these factors in mind will help you be the most successful in reaching your targeted online audience.
If you are looking to update your website, don’t wait! Contact us right now.
Article by Zipporah Schumaker