5 Psychology-Based Design Tips to Improve Engagement on Your Website

Your brand’s message isn’t limited to the word choices that you make. The environment under which you present your message is equally (perhaps even more) important. Particularly in encouraging user interaction and media engagement.

Subtle aspects, such as color, line, shape, and font, matter. I’ve already shared details about typography, color, and a few design mistakes that ruin your SEO. But, most people believe that design is a creative talent. And, they think that you’re either born with it or that you can’t develop a knack for it.

I beg to differ…

People respond to visual stimuli subconsciously. For starters, you need to ditch the notion that your website has to be elegant. Beautiful websites that don’t function well have high bounce rates. And, they don’t convert well.

You just need a functional website that’s easy to use and loads fast. But, learning a few psychology principles will help you to improve the usability of your website and thereby increase the user engagement that you receive, including social media engagement.

So, in this article, I’ve compiled five psychology-based design tips for improving user engagement. As always, with theory, I’ve included practical examples and actionable strategies that you can implement in your design straightaway.

Let’s get started with the first tip.

1. A recap of how colors and fonts evoke emotion

I’ve written in detail on both of these subjects. But, let’s revisit the key pointers.

First, let’s talk about color.

Color has a key influence in evoking emotion. If you’re a regular visitor to my website, Quick Sprout, then you’ll associate green with my brand. All colored sections are predominantly green.

Similarly, Coca-Cola is associated with the red color that matches their bold and energetic brand image.

Color has been found to increase brand recognition, by up to 80%. Here are some more surprising stats about how colors affect conversions.

Now, the preference of colors might differ by the gender and shopping habits of the consumer. Even the culture and nationality of your prospects can affect color preference. For example, in the US, most people associate white with marriage. But, in India, red is the marriage color.

An important point to remember is that no single color will convert the best, across all marketing campaigns.

So, don’t get all cozy when you read that changing a CTA button from red to green increased the CTR by 21%. You may or may not get similar results. No single universal best color will work for all websites. A/B testing is your best friend.

Yet, at the same time:

Choosing a color palette that matches your brand personality and that resonates with your target audience is important.

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