Using the principles of psychology to increase the conversion of sites. Part 1: Gestalt psychology, the law of brevity
In continuation of the topic of psychology in online trading, we decided to publish a translation of an article that recently appeared on the kissmetrics.com blog. The main value of this material is the demonstration of real ways of using the described principles and an indication of specific data on the extent of the impact of changes on the conversion rate.
In addition, the text will be used inserts that describe the elements of the influence of a principle, each of these inserts will be marked by the words "some information."
In order not to overload the reader, it was decided to split the translation into several publications.
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
')
1. The law of brevity
One of the central principles of gestalt psychology is the law of conciseness. This law says that we, as a rule, perceive things that are simpler, including from a visual point of view, much better. We prefer things that are understandable, we are afraid of complex things, ideas or projects. Instinctively, we know that simple things are safer.
The law of conciseness takes into account not only the amount of information and semantic accents in the design. There are a few points that need to be taken into account when creating a “simple” design:
- Completion . People tend to mentally draw an image if it seems incomplete to them. Thanks to this feature of our consciousness, techniques with the use of empty space in logos and other elements work.
- Symmetry and orderliness. People tend to perceive objects as ordered groups, symmetrically located around the conditional center. The more explicitly these conditions are highlighted, the simpler the design is for perception.
- The figure and background . If the image can be conventionally divided into two components, then one of them will be perceived as a figure (an element carrying the main semantic load), and the second - as a background. In this case, the element is most likely to be considered an element with a smaller area and the predominant number of convex elements.
- The principle of connectedness. If the two elements are visually connected to the third, they are perceived as a whole.
- Zoning . A group of elements is perceived as a whole, if it is limited to a closed region.
- Proximity . Objects that are located closer to each other, rather perceived as a whole, rather than objects located at a distance.
- Continued . Elements located on one line are perceived as a whole, even despite other criteria for grouping (color, shape, size).
- Parallel objects are perceived as a group.
Example # 1: The Sims 3 (128% increase)
Despite the fact that Sims is one of the best-selling computer game franchises in history, manufacturers knew that there was always the possibility of improved conversion.
The original design contained 4 CTA:
• Registration (or login)
• Visit the store
• Read the latest company news.
• Get free stuff
To improve conversion rates, they create six design options, each of which focuses the user's attention on only one call to action.
As a result, option D was recognized as the best (in the picture), with a result of 128%. It should be noted that all the proposed options were better than the original, the minimum result of increasing the conversion was 43%.
So, if you have dozens of amazing features and suggestions, serve them gradually. Just choose what will be more effective.
Example # 2: Device Magic (35% increase)
The mobile business of Device Magic was presented on an excellent landing page, which was filled with informative material explaining how it all works.
Deciding that their design might be too complicated, they decided to try a simpler version. The new design has simplified the understanding of the product for new visitors, and the transitions to the registration page increased by 35%.
Example No. 3: Highrise (37.5% growth)
When 37signals wanted to improve the conversion rate for their popular Highrise CRM software, they decided to implement a few dramatic changes:
The original design (on the left) is filled with a large number of images, arrows and headings. The page contains about 12 accents, which dispels the user's attention.
The new design was limited to one heading and one arrow, in order to emphasize the main thing.
Example 4: Daily Burn (20.45% growth)
Daily Burn (formerly Gyminee) developed an excellent home page design. Excellent screenshots, visualization of work support and an interesting calorie counter.
They decided to try the simplest conversion and simply deleted part of the page.
In each new test, they removed the different elements of the page, reducing the focus to the main element - CTA. On average, conversion growth reached 20.45%.
Case # 5: DesignBoost (13% increase)
When DesignBoost launched their project, they understood that they would have a lot of A / B tests, so they decided to start with what could bring the greatest result.
They heard that short pages usually work better, and that’s what they decided to check first. The simplified version allowed to increase the conversion rate by 13%.
Note the word “usually” above. Although general principles such as simple design, page length, or verbal triggers are usually effective, they have different effects on different target groups of sites.
In addition, the text will be used inserts that describe the elements of the influence of a principle, each of these inserts will be marked by the words "some information."
In order not to overload the reader, it was decided to split the translation into several publications.
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
')
1. The law of brevity
One of the central principles of gestalt psychology is the law of conciseness. This law says that we, as a rule, perceive things that are simpler, including from a visual point of view, much better. We prefer things that are understandable, we are afraid of complex things, ideas or projects. Instinctively, we know that simple things are safer.
A little information
The law of conciseness takes into account not only the amount of information and semantic accents in the design. There are a few points that need to be taken into account when creating a “simple” design:
- Completion . People tend to mentally draw an image if it seems incomplete to them. Thanks to this feature of our consciousness, techniques with the use of empty space in logos and other elements work.
- Symmetry and orderliness. People tend to perceive objects as ordered groups, symmetrically located around the conditional center. The more explicitly these conditions are highlighted, the simpler the design is for perception.
- The figure and background . If the image can be conventionally divided into two components, then one of them will be perceived as a figure (an element carrying the main semantic load), and the second - as a background. In this case, the element is most likely to be considered an element with a smaller area and the predominant number of convex elements.
- The principle of connectedness. If the two elements are visually connected to the third, they are perceived as a whole.
- Zoning . A group of elements is perceived as a whole, if it is limited to a closed region.
- Proximity . Objects that are located closer to each other, rather perceived as a whole, rather than objects located at a distance.
- Continued . Elements located on one line are perceived as a whole, even despite other criteria for grouping (color, shape, size).
- Parallel objects are perceived as a group.
A few examples of the successful use of this law to increase conversion:
Example # 1: The Sims 3 (128% increase)
Despite the fact that Sims is one of the best-selling computer game franchises in history, manufacturers knew that there was always the possibility of improved conversion.
The original design contained 4 CTA:
• Registration (or login)
• Visit the store
• Read the latest company news.
• Get free stuff
To improve conversion rates, they create six design options, each of which focuses the user's attention on only one call to action.
As a result, option D was recognized as the best (in the picture), with a result of 128%. It should be noted that all the proposed options were better than the original, the minimum result of increasing the conversion was 43%.
So, if you have dozens of amazing features and suggestions, serve them gradually. Just choose what will be more effective.
Example # 2: Device Magic (35% increase)
The mobile business of Device Magic was presented on an excellent landing page, which was filled with informative material explaining how it all works.
Deciding that their design might be too complicated, they decided to try a simpler version. The new design has simplified the understanding of the product for new visitors, and the transitions to the registration page increased by 35%.
Example No. 3: Highrise (37.5% growth)
When 37signals wanted to improve the conversion rate for their popular Highrise CRM software, they decided to implement a few dramatic changes:
The original design (on the left) is filled with a large number of images, arrows and headings. The page contains about 12 accents, which dispels the user's attention.
The new design was limited to one heading and one arrow, in order to emphasize the main thing.
Example 4: Daily Burn (20.45% growth)
Daily Burn (formerly Gyminee) developed an excellent home page design. Excellent screenshots, visualization of work support and an interesting calorie counter.
They decided to try the simplest conversion and simply deleted part of the page.
In each new test, they removed the different elements of the page, reducing the focus to the main element - CTA. On average, conversion growth reached 20.45%.
Case # 5: DesignBoost (13% increase)
When DesignBoost launched their project, they understood that they would have a lot of A / B tests, so they decided to start with what could bring the greatest result.
They heard that short pages usually work better, and that’s what they decided to check first. The simplified version allowed to increase the conversion rate by 13%.
Note the word “usually” above. Although general principles such as simple design, page length, or verbal triggers are usually effective, they have different effects on different target groups of sites.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/229921/
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