6. People Scan Screens Based On Past Experience And Expectations

At First Glance

When we first look at a computer screen, we tend to look at the center, not the edges because most people assume that the top most corner, and even across the top, is taken up by logos, white space or navigation bars. Then we follow with the normal reading pattern of our culture (left to right, right to left, etc.)

Mental Models

A mental model involves the thought processes people have on how something works. There are mental models towards where things will be on a webpage or application that is used often. For example, if we shop on the Amazon website often, and search for items, we would find ourselves looking in the area the search bar is before the page even loads.

Is There A Problem?

If you're trying to do something on a webpage and experience a problem or error, your attention will be drawn from what you're looking at to the problem area. This will be discussed more later in the study guide in the "People Make Mistakes" course.

Things to Remember

The things you want people to focus on most in your webpage should be in the top third of the screen. Try not to put anything too important along the edges because people usually pay the least amount of attention to these areas. Keep the flow of the webpage in a normal reading pattern. By not jumping back and forth, the viewer can understand and remember the information better.