November 12, 2015
2.5 Minute Read
Digital Age
We live in a digital age. An age where visual perception is an extremely important aspect of communication. So how we communicate the products we market, pass along information and interact with the global world has to accommodate that need for visual stimulation. “The human brain is more able to identify and comprehend relationships and patterns if data is encoded into visual forms.” (W. S. Cleveland, “The Elements of Graphing Data”, 1994)
Importance
It’s easy to see how important this knowledge is when it comes to your own website. If you are marketing products for a business with a large wealth of information, you will need to strategically structure this content so it fully grabs a customers’ attention.
When users enter a website they want to know what your business has to offer them immediately, not to be bombarded with page after page of content. If you are unable to convey the information you need to users of your website in under 15 seconds you will lose the majority of those potential clients. Attention spans on the internet are shockingly low, so what can you do about this?
Keep attention; visualize information
This can be done through numerous methods.
INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE
Information Architecture (IA) is the backbone of a well designed website. Knowing how to attract particular clientele, proper labeling and positioning specific information is key to making IA work for you.
INFOGRAPHICS
Infographics display information quickly and clearly through imagery representing data, facts and knowledge. There are a variety of types of infographics that can help convey information in different ways. From flowcharts to timelines and process based to location based, infographics are versatile and interesting ways of communicating a ton of content in one clean graphic.
VIDEOS
With the use of video, businesses can present information visually and auditory. Videos can be very impactful ways of sharing content. With videos you not only are able to show exactly what you’re describing, you can implement the type of emotion you would like your user to feel. Capturing emotion is an excellent way to express meaningful content and can be done through imagery and music.
IMAGES
Finding imagery that supports your text is an easy way to visualize content. As you’ve heard before, a picture is worth a thousand words. Describing something properly can take time with words but sometimes one simple image has the ability to convey much more. Using the right imagery for the your website is important as the wrong image could carry an unintentional message.
How to Implement
Implementing these visual aids may require the use of a professional in the design, videography or photography industries. If you feel comfortable with one or all of these methods definitely go for it. If that’s too adventurous for you, look into hiring the right person with experience under their belt, you won’t regret working with someone who knows what they’re doing.