There are certain reading patterns that users follow when reading content on a web page - the most prominent of these is the "F shaped reading pattern". Research from Nielsen Norman Group's usability studies has revealed that the majority of users scan a web page in the shape of the letter F. The study involved 232 users, and this pattern holds across web pages and different content. There are three main components to this pattern:
It is easy to discern the F pattern by looking at the above images. It is more discernible in the middle image than the other two since it is a rough pattern that users follow rather than a strict rule that everyone follows. Nevertheless, there are important implications.
This study reveals that users do not read the majority of content on a page. There are certain sections that they are most attentive to, and they just skim the rest of the page. Since they are most attentive to the content at the top of the page, the most important content should be placed there. If the page is a news article, the content at the top of the page should be interesting and compelling enough to convince the reader to stay. On an e-commerce site, the most important content such as payment information, pricing details, etc should be placed at the top. On a search site, the most important results should be placed at the top. Though users will likely skim content after the first 2 paragraphs, Nielsen suggests a method to draw users in while they are skimming. By starting paragraphs with information carrying words, users are more likely to be engaged in the content.
Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
- Users will read the top part of the page horizontally, forming the top bar of the F.
- Users then skip some content and read horizontally again. This forms the middle bar of the F, and tends to be shorter than the top bar.
- Users then skim over the rest of the page vertically, creating the leg of the F. Depending on the user, this skimming can be either slow or fast.
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| Heatmaps of user viewing patterns. Red regions are where the user spent most of their time, followed by yellow and blue. |
This study reveals that users do not read the majority of content on a page. There are certain sections that they are most attentive to, and they just skim the rest of the page. Since they are most attentive to the content at the top of the page, the most important content should be placed there. If the page is a news article, the content at the top of the page should be interesting and compelling enough to convince the reader to stay. On an e-commerce site, the most important content such as payment information, pricing details, etc should be placed at the top. On a search site, the most important results should be placed at the top. Though users will likely skim content after the first 2 paragraphs, Nielsen suggests a method to draw users in while they are skimming. By starting paragraphs with information carrying words, users are more likely to be engaged in the content.
Source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html
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