Psychology of Web Design
There are few things more important to a successful website than its design. In many respects, it’s the window to the soul of an Internet business as well as the people behind it. Portals busy with too many elements fail, in that they attempt to express too much, confuse visitors and make interaction stressful. On the other hand, those which are too barren or sparse fail to build trust or convey purpose with users clearly. Is there a successful middle ground? A virtual place where satisfying end-user needs and designer creativity meet to fulfill the objectives of those running a website? That balance is certainly the goal, but how do we (the collective of Web professionals) get there without alienating either essential group?
There are, or perhaps should be, two schools of thought in the psychology of Web design; should our experiences influence design choices or should end-users (and their demographics, psychographics and needs) determine how websites and applications are designed and developed? The difference might be arbitrary to some, but they can have a profound effect on how your site performs. Do you listen to the actions of your users as they interact with your site or do you, as a designer (or as the one responsible for its success), dictate best practices? Clearly, this can be a challenging choice for a designer. Yes, a designer’s job is to build a Web page or website to fulfill the objective of the client which meets or parallels the existing brand (and its customers affinity for it), but are users’ needs superseded in doing so? If the answer to that question is yes, are we risking the loyalty of existing clients or even worse, prospects? And how do our choices affect revenue?
In a perfect world, there would be a balance between properly satisfying the needs of the brand and creating an appealing Web presence that drives users to take specific actions, feel certain emotions, and create certain thoughts. Successful designers achieve this symbiosis. But there are many challenges — cost, purpose, guidelines, and environment, not to mention the many platform limitations.
Web designers express the objective of a website (without copy) through layout, form, color and theme. To provide designers with the best possible canvas to help achieve the objectives and goals set forth, it is essential to address the psychology of design from the perspectives of purpose, balance and branding — often where genuine psychology comes into play. Those able to romanticize the experience while remaining in line with fundamental artistry achieve a certain mastery of design psychology and provide a website with dramatically better odds of success.
For full story, read http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/pages/psychology-of-design.aspx
Posted by Shawna Gustin 
