Visual hierarchy in web design: how to guide user attention

Visual hierarchy is the base for a successful web design and a positive user experience. Guiding users through design is only possible by prioritising single elements. Expert web designers intensely concentrate on a content's visual hierarchy and know how to implement it well. In this article we will explain what visual hierarchy is and how to use it to improve your design.

Visual hierarchy is the disposition and presentation of elements on a website to transmit clear and structured messages to users. Their appearance can determine the importance of elements and direct the visitor's attention. In web design, visual hierarchy is particularly important for indicating what users should focus on, thus creating a positive user experience.

Visual hierarchy can be achieved through various design elements: 

Besides creative implementation, good structure is key to successful content design. Users have a really short attention span, especially online. This makes it even more important for web designers to grab and, most importantly, keep their attention. One glance should be enough to get the gist of the content and decide if it's relevant. A visual hierarchy helps achieve this.

In most cases, users arrive at your website with a specific intention. Are they looking for specific information? Do they want to buy something? Are they looking for a way to contact you? In any case, web design is about guiding users through the website in the best possible way so that they achieve their goal.

Visual hierarchy helps users in several ways: 

It is also possible to consider various aspects during content creation to ensure a clear structure later on.

By knowing in advance which elements of the website are most important, you can design the various components with this knowledge in mind. The natural reading direction is one of the simplest ways to create a visual hierarchy. The human eye is accustomed to reading from left to right.
For example, on the home page of your website, you can place a title with introductory text on the left and a supporting image on the right. The user will habitually read the text first and then look at the image.
Another good example is the layout of a blog article. The design is usually structured so that the title is the largest. This way, the reader understands what the article is about first. Then they read a slightly smaller subheading that describes the article in more detail. Only then does the reader begin to read the smaller blocks of text.

Image via Medium

A grid is a visual structure that organises and structures the content of a website. A grid functions as the basic skeleton of a website. It helps to position the components of the site, such as images or text, while maintaining consistent proportions.
Websites without a grid often appear unstructured. Uneven alignment also negatively affects the readability of the website. The structured framework of a grid helps the creative process make decisions about the placement of elements and thus the visual hierarchy.

White space, or negative space, is an often underrated design element. Essentially, white space is simply empty space on a website or between elements. However, for designers, white space is a valuable tool for visual composition.
Spacing can make user interface components appear visually separate or grouped together. This makes it clear to the viewer which elements belong together and which do not.

Colours are an excellent way to give hierarchical meaning to graphic elements. The choice of colours in web design influences how users perceive an element. The brightness of a colour can also vary. For example, a bright red button is much more noticeable than a blue one. Therefore, bright or bold colours are often used to create emphasis.
The possible uses are endless: coloured backgrounds, fonts, buttons, icons or coloured image effects. Colours can create sufficient contrast, hierarchy or affiliation.

Content orientation plays a crucial role. It has been shown that most users briefly scan a website before examining individual images and text in more detail.
Web designers often structure their websites based on the chosen gaze pattern to capture and maintain users' attention.
There are two patterns that users might use to scan your website:

Especially with blog articles or other text-rich content, users scroll through the content following the so-called F-pattern.
In this case, the user first looks at the top left and focuses on the titles or keywords aligned on the left. If the introduction is interesting enough, they continue reading to the right, proceeding from top to bottom.
Web designers take advantage of the F-shaped pattern by aligning important information on the left and breaking up blocks of text, for example with lists and subheadings.

Even with the so-called Z-pattern, the user first looks at the top left corner, but then moves their gaze from one corner to the other.
The reader assumes that the most important information, which should give them an overview of the content, is at the top. Therefore, they first scan the top row and then move to the opposite corner.
We explore a website using the Z-pattern especially when it is not divided into sections but contains many images. These are often advertisements.
To make the most of the Z-pattern, web designers place important content in the corners or along the top and bottom edges.

Image via theFutur

Visual hierarchy can also be achieved through the use of typography. The most obvious contrast between fonts can be achieved simply through text size. For example, a large headline and a paragraph of normal text. 
However, visual hierarchy can also be created through font colour, font style or alignment. The main purpose of hierarchy in text is to enable the reader to understand the information as easily and gradually as possible.

Just like the hamburger icon on smartphones, website navigation has become established in the top bar. There is a logical reason for this: the human eye automatically follows a top-down gaze pattern. Therefore, the top of the website is the most important area for interaction. This way, visitors find navigation intuitive at first glance and can navigate your website.
In general, navigation should not be overloaded. Make sure you use no more than seven navigation points. Then, consider which pages are the most important on your website. Use clear and self-explanatory descriptions for the names of the navigation points. For example, it is easy for visitors to understand that they can contact the website operator via the ‘Contact’ menu item.

Visual hierarchy is much more than just an aesthetic choice: it is a strategic tool for guiding the user's eye, simplifying content consumption and conveying key messages clearly and effectively. Through the conscious use of space, colour, typography, layout and navigation, a website not only appears more orderly, but also becomes more intuitive and engaging.

Put these techniques into practice on your website right away: even small changes can make a big difference. And if you would like professional support to improve the visual hierarchy of your web project, contact us: we will be happy to help you transform your design into a successful tool.