Earlier this year, I redesigned Social Media Slant. I made the decision after asking for constructive feedback from trusted friends and colleagues, as well as observing how visitors behaved on the pages. It was a very interesting experiment.
Using a heatmap tool like ClickTale or Crazy Egg teaches you a lot about creating a website that converts. Because at the end of the day, it is not just about flowery design and cute font. You also have to make your visitors happy, so that they find the information they are looking for, stay longer, continue clicking, and take action.
One thing I have discovered over time is that eyes tend to scan from left to right (at least in this corner of the world). However, they will cover less ground as they move downward. It is called the “F-shaped pattern”. The scanning will occasionally follow an E-pattern.
Eye movement tracking has become a very important part of website design. How so? According to the infographic below (created by SingleGrain), 69 percent of users’ time is spent looking at the left half of a webpage. And logos that are placed on the top left side of a website are remembered 58 percent more than those located in alternative areas.
Some very useful information on eye tracking. The design tips are also bang on!
Infographic designed by Single Grain
