As humans beings, everyone relies on subtle cues to make everyday decisions. The use of design psychology within web pages and applications is no different. By utilizing design principles inspired by psychology, web developers and user-interface designers can subconsciously influence how users interact with their creations.
What is Design Psychology?
Design psychology is the study of human behavior and how it interacts with the design of physical and virtual spaces. In short, it is understanding how people interact with a space and using this to craft an optimal user experience. Design psychology takes into account a wide range of factors including, lighting, colors, shapes and textures to name a few.
How Does Design Psychology Influence User Actions?
First and foremost, web developers use design psychology principles to create a visually appealing interface. Research has shown that the visual appeal of a website greatly influences the time spent on it and the frequency of return visits. Well designed web pages provide adequate visual cues, instructions, and menus on where the user should go next. This has the effect of improving the learning curves for users.
Furthermore, design psychology explores user responses to a variety of colors. Colors play a major role in influencing our behavior and can be used in web design to create a certain mood, or to direct a user’s attention. Warm colors like red, orange and yellow often give a sense of energy and excitement, drawing attention to certain areas of the page. While cooler, professional colors like blue and green create a calming influence powerful for persuading user trust.
Shapes are also a powerful tool when it comes to creating a positive user experience. Sharp angles contribute to a high-energy, modern aesthetic, and are often used to provide a sense of urgency. Alternatively, curves and rounded shapes create a softer, more user-friendly visual.
Texture is another design element that can be used to influence user feelings. More natural materials like wood and linen have the potential to lend an “authentic” touch to a web page. This often helps to create a more trustworthy impression among users.
Design Psychology and CTA’s
Finally, the use of calls-to-action, or CTA’s, is an essential part of web design. CTA’s guide users to the next step, while storing important information from the company. They can be used to create a sense of urgency, direct users’ focus and reinforce a preferred response. Design psychology places great emphasis on ensuring CTA’s stand out from the rest of the page, typically by using contrasting colors against a neutral background. This often encourages a higher user participation.
Conclusion
Design psychology is an important element of modern web development – an effective use of design elements can greatly affect user actions. By understanding how users process information, web developers and user-interface designers are able to better craft their websites in a way that subconsciously influences user actions. In turn, web pages and applications can create a more engaging experience, and in the long-term, drive increased user engagement.