Did you know that there are psychological principles that guide how your customers view your website? Effective web designers understand and use these principles to create highly effective sites. You may be curious about what your audience thinks when they visit your homepage. These are some psychological principles you should understand.

Distinction Matters

The Von Restoff Effect shows that individuals remember the most unique of a list of items. In his research, Hedwig von Restoff found that when given a list of words, individuals chose the one that differed the most.

Web designers use this concept when they design calls to action. They make them stand out on the page by changing the font type, size, and color. They also tend to build a button of some type that differs from the surrounding text and visuals.

Familiarity Is Important

According to Jakob’s Law, people appreciate the familiar. They like things to stay the same or be the same no matter where they are. They like products to work the same way as well. For example, most lawnmowers start and move similarly.

Websites are not immune to this desire. Although most people remember unique items in a list, they do not want to struggle to navigate your site. Therefore, most websites have similar navigation strategies, e.g., the shopping cart link is typically at the top right-hand corner of the page. This makes it easier for your users to get where they need to go.

Customers Need Limited Options

Miller’s Law says that people only remember a limited number of things at one time. They also like a small set of options. People become overwhelmed when they receive too many options at one time.

Therefore, web designers tend to limit the number of options on each page, especially in forms, drop-downs, and navigation options. This not only reduces user stress, but it makes these websites easier to navigate. If too many options are available, users may just jump right back off the website.

Wait Time Has Negative Impacts

The Doherty Threshold focuses on wait times. Did you know that when you wait, your brain doesn’t recognize waiting for a specific period? Unfortunately, this period is very short, around half a second.

Therefore, websites need to load quickly so their users don’t feel like they have to wait. Faster load times keep users’ attention. However, this time extends to form submissions, checkouts, and all other website functions.

These are only a few of the psychological principles professional web designers use. Consider these principles as you target your audience with your landing and web pages.