Usability and Page Momentum

I just finished reading Engagement vs. Recall - Small Eye-Tracking Usability Study, a blog post by Cory Bates about a test he ran comparing a text page to a graphics page. If you have the time, I strongly recommend giving it a read, if only, to reinforce the idea that best practices really only apply to "best practice audiences." In other words, as Cory has said, each page on a website has a unique momentum that should always be considered when designing or redesigning a website.

I've written a few posts about conversion paths and ideal conversion scenarios, always emphasizing that it is key to understand your target first - you don't build a house without first looking at the community, your needs, and the local contractors. What was especially interesting in Cory's post was the confidence level from subjects in the graphical test group - it seems that people respond stronger to images than just words.

Resonating with your target audience should be the primary focus of any online activity; this is the horse that will always pull the revenue cart. Whether that resonance is achieved purely through written content or graphics is a decision that needs to be made with a firm understanding of your unique target audience as well as an understanding of your own websites momentum.

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