Not too long ago I read a very interesting book by the psychologist,  Susan M. Weinschenk (@thebrainlady) and she talked about smart design. I thought it would be interesting to explain one of the topics she touched on that concerns all designers in the online world: how users see the screens, and based on that, what we should keep in mind when organising and prioritising the elements we want users to see first. This way we can have a clear view of how to improve the user experience and enhance the usability of the site.

These days, people surf the web depending on their experiences, so in a way their visualization depends on their behaviour and expectations. As we all know, in our culture we read from left to right and screens work in the same way. However, users don't start reading a site from the top left corner (as the case would be if reading a book), because with time they have become used to seeing useless elements in these spaces (white spaces, navigation bars, logos...). So in most cases they tend to focus their view on the middle of the screen and they avoid the margins.

More and more users tend to get to the point, they don't like to wait, and they only search the information they're interested in. When you enter a site for the first time this is what tends to happen: a quick scan from left to right and back and finally from top to bottom. If something blinks in your peripheral vision or you see a large photo with a face, by instinct you'll divert your eyes from your regular path towards that image that captured your attention.

Users have a mental plan of what they expect to see and where

Ever since the Internet has been around, users have created a pattern for where elements should be found in any given site. In Google, for example, we already know for certain that in the middle of the page we'll find the search engine. Users are already mentally prepared by habit on where they will find the basic functions of any site. I'll give you another example. If you click on a logo at the top left corner of the page in any site, it will probably take you to the homepage (Home). Also, if you tend to shop in the AppStore, it's most likely you divert your eyes to the search engine before the site finishes loading.

4 simple tips to improve the user experience

1. Design the site according to the natural user journey (left to right, up to down) and based on the standard patterns.
2. DO NOT make it so the user has to go back to another page to find necessary information. Avoid this at all costs. It is important that the user has everything they need in front of them without needing to navigate to find information.
3. Place the most important information in the third position from the top and in the centre of the page.
4. Make sure not to place anything of relevance in the peripheral margins or borders of the site, because users either don't look there or take long to do so.

And the most tip is always: design with the user in mind and make their life easier.

See you next time!

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