The Psychology of Website Design: Understanding User Behavior

Usability discussions are afflicted with self reflection. Designers think a lot on deciding the design for various websites and they also consider the demands of the website users as well while creating a new website design. If the user does not think like you it will be very difficult for the users to understand your website design and it will be also very difficult to understand your brand products and services. A great sense is required for website designing. Most of the time our thoughts are totally opposite from the thoughts and ideas of the users so they mostly do opposite of what you expect from your users. It has been observed that you can not put yourself in the users shoes because you are not the users. Different users have different demands and choices, so it is impossible for you to understand the needs and requirements of all the users. You have to choose a specific group of audience and try to work according to that group. 

Trying to evaluate website usability by putting yourself in the user’s shoes is called using a mirror persona. So, the best way to learn and understand usability is to notice the behavior of your audience while they are interacting with your web design. Different website design companies arrange a survey to know about the needs and requirements of the customers and try to create the designs according to the demands of the audience.

How do people actually use the web?

websites are mostly created and designed according to the users expectations. Even simple sites assume users:

  •  Spend a lot of time on scanning the content present on the business website
  • Digest all the navigational options
  • Weigh all the options carefully given above
  • At the end make an educated decision about what to click on. 

Website users must have patience and should have the ability to understand the things provided by the web designer and must do some actions expected by the website owners. Users should not ignore the great content of the website and always prefer to motivate the website. Website users behave differently online as compared to they behave on physical stores. Most of the users are unable to reach the high quality authentic content and unable to get their favorite high quality products and services.  They mostly scan the text and find the links available to move forward. 

Accomplishing tasks in the physical world vs online are two different things. If you visit the store physically and you do not find your favorite article you have to travel a few miles to reach another store to get your required product. However in online shopping you can click on a button and can order your favorite product online from any store. So, in order to attract the clients towards your online store you have to create an elegant website design and can hire a website design company for the accomplishment of your task. Websites work very quickly if the visitors do not find the desired product on one website they can immediately go for the next time without wasting any time and energy so online shopping is very different from shopping on physical stores to get your needed products and services. 

In order to understand the different users you first need to understand the general online behavior of the users. After understanding the behavior it will be easier for you to create a better web design. Sometimes users do not read and learn things due to lack of patience. 

1. Users don’t read:

Content is very helpful to understand the products and services of specific brand products online but most of the users do not like to read the content in written form. Written content is less attention grabbing so it is best to create video content for the website users to attract and engage them with your website. Video content in websites increases the beauty of website design and is also helpful in enhancing the online business. If the written content is available on the website most of the users prefer to scan the content and only read the main points and headings. Most of the readers read the printed material with great concentration when they have spare time. But when they are busy they pick to read the highlighted content. 

Experience website riders have great ability to scan the useful content, so they skip everything except headlines, links and bold texts. 

Users do not read the entire content due to some reasons. They are very busy and do not have enough time to read the complete content to understand the brand products and services. You should keep all the things in your mind while writing the content for your website and should try to write the limited content according to the needs and requirements of the users. 

2. Users are impatient:

Users are mostly impatient and they skip most of the written content. As the web becomes faster, users expect a more delay free experience. Your website working speed should be fast enough to impress and attract the clients. So, your website working speed should be fast otherwise a large portion of users will leave your site. The speed of working mostly depends upon the website design; it must be unique, simple and comprehensive.  

Summary:

Websites are designed for the audience so the features and themes of the websites are also according to the demands and requirements of the users. Users do not have motivation, patience and environment to figure out a confusing website. If your site is not easy there are lots of other alternatives. You can also use various other marketing strategies to impress the clients and convince them to buy your products and services. But the psychology of website design is very difficult to understand due to different natures and behaviors of website users. Different website design companies are working on understanding the website users behavior.