10 Psychology Principles Web Designers Must Know

When you want to create a website that will have the ‘sticky’ quality that Facebook has become famous for, it pays to get inside the minds of your users. Psychology is the tool that you need at your disposal, and these are the 10 principles that you need to know about. There are so many web design psychology secrets out there that it can be hard to know where to start, but these are the 10 you really need to know about.

1. Horizontal structures work best because they’re expected

   If you want to create an influential site, then you need to understand there are certain norms that people are now used to:
   • Text flows down the page, not off to the sides seemingly at will
   • Titles and tag lines will be larger, in different colors, and often bold
   • Hero images are the first thing a user will see
   Let’s focus on the first of those. As the subtitle says, horizontal structures work best because they’re what people expect to see. You might think that there’s a lot of merit in reinventing the wheel and creating a stunning visual layout, but is the end result really that intuitive? Keep it simple, and you’ll find your browsers connect with it far better.

2. Short and direct text is the name of the game

   You could use tools such as Best Writers Canada and Google Web Designer that enable you to create content that will tap into a browser’s core emotions. It needs to be powerful and memorable if it’s going to resonate with your audience. So keep it short and visually appealing, just like this subsection! [the_ad id=”13151″]

3. People want to feel like they are part of something

   If you want to know about how branding and web design can come together, take a look at Manchester United. They’ve created a shared sense of identity by involving the fans in the team’s journey, and they do it in a way that’s genuine and authentic. It’s a major part of how they’ve become the world’s biggest sports team, and it’s a great thing to highlight in their web design. If you can foster a sense of community by welcoming people in, you’re already halfway to converting them.

   Image by Henning Westerkamp from Pixabay

    

4. A picture tells a thousand words

   Fashion is all about aesthetics, and the approach of brands like Gucci is no different. They’ve got an eye-catching hero image, closely connected with ‘Shop for Him’ and ‘Shop for Her’ browsing buttons. It’s all about giving people what they want, and there’s no better way to do it than to personally direct someone to the subsection of your site that they’ll be most interested in.

5. Tag lines need to stand out visually

   You need to create something your customers want if you’re going to get the maximum value out of your web design efforts. Tag lines are a major part of this, and there’s no easier way to make them stand out than by combining clever writing with a bold visual. Different fonts, sizes, colors, and making them bold is the way to go. It may seem too simple to be true, but as the brands, we highlight in this article show, it works.

6. Understand why your customers are on your site

   Online tools such as FlyWriting and The Essay Typer help you create content that really connects with your audience by never losing sight of why they’ve come to you in the first place. This is so important in an age where it’s all too easy to chase traffic just to boost your stats. The problem with doing this is that what you need is more relevant traffic, not just higher stats for the sake of it. Always go back to the 3 core benefits people will get from your products and services, and make sure they come across multiple times on every single page on your site. If they don’t then either you’re not being clear enough, or you’ve diluted your USP by trying to cater to anyone and everyone.

7. Flawless content will engage your readers

   Content is what really matters because no matter how the basic layout is, it’s the words that sell. This means that you need to work with a copywriter who will find the words that get your message out there. A simple message repeated in 10 clever ways will be more effective than saying the same thing over and over, word for word.

8. Make your internal linking easy to navigate

   Something that many designers overlook is the need to establish an easy to navigate and highly informative internal linking structure. Make sure that every link adds value, and you’ll be able to establish yourself as a leading voice in your chosen niche. Browsers won’t feel the need to click off somewhere else, and your traffic will skyrocket.

   “Internal linking is a really important tool because it establishes your site as an authority voice when done the right way” — says Luke Smith, Content Creator at Write Load.

9. Light colors and lots of white space will relax the browser

   It’s safe to say that Apple knows a thing or two about creating designs that millions of people love. Their site uses large white spaces, large visuals, and the minimum of text required to get their message across. The result? You get a sense that this is a brand whose products work straight out of the box with the minimum of fuss and that their devices will be well thought through from beginning to end.

10. Work with your copywriter to fill the space the right way

    If you want to be able to really get inside the minds of your readers, you need to integrate your text into the visual layout of your site. Work with a copywriter who can create a short and sharp text that easily fits into the various visual elements. This will ensure your site stands out both for its aesthetic qualities, but also for the quality of the content when people decide to take a closer look. “A copywriter is essential to any web designer because they can create a text that fits the visual constraints of the new site. Work together, and the results will speak for themselves” — says Sam Neil, Content Strategist at Best UK Writers.

    Final Thoughts

    Creating a website that people will love to use is all about getting inside their heads so that you can give them exactly what they want with the click of a button. It’s more of an art than a science, and that means to really know if your ideas are working, you’re going to have to employ split-run testing as well. That way you can see which of your ideas fits better with your audience by exposing it to some real-world testing.

Learn from the feedback, take the key lessons onboard, and make the changes accordingly. As you keep iterating you’ll soon home in on a design that’s 10 times better than the one you started with.