The power of prominence. I received an email with this sentence as the subject line. The sentence made me want to learn more.
The backstory
I was not 100 percent sure what the word prominence meant. I eventually looked up the meaning of the word. Before doing so, I kept reading. The email went on to explain the power of prominence.
Have you ever used a website or app that left you confused about what step to take next? That’s likely because the key elements weren’t prominently displayed.
By highlighting the most crucial elements in your design, you can provide a clear path for users, and enhance their experience.
Dribble
Whether it was divine intervention or coincidence, the message matched an issue that my client and I are currently resolving with their project, how to display key elements that provides users with a clear path.
Understanding prominence
Oddly enough, the definition of prominence did not seem to fit the message.
prominence = relative importance
The task
In order to identify the tasks for this website, I needed a clear goal. Before I could set a goal, I need to know what the challenges are.
The challenges
While there are many challenges, by identifying the key themes that lends to promience, it becomes easier.
There is no single user experience that fits all
It amazes me how the Internet landscape shifts whenever someone decides to experiment with design layouts. Once upon a time, web pages everywhere was the same. Then user experience started playing a role in web design.
- Do you resize your browser vertically?
- Do you resize your browser horizontally?
- Do you resize your browser horizontally and vertically?
- Do you resize your browser in full screen mode?
Regardless of how you size your browser, the web design needs to display prominent elements at any given time.
Balancing prominence between reading versus engagement
Both reading and engagement offers an equal amount of prominence.
If no one engages with your web page, what is the point of having a web page? A web page is an opportunity for you to learn more about your users.
- Use color
- Adjust typography
- Play with contrast
- Use white space
- Rearrange elements
- Add icons or images
The relative importance of color
One interesting influence I noticed is how the use of color can divide the space between the entry content and comments section. It seems to create a psychological frame of mind that shifts your attention from reading to engagement.
Setting the goal
Identify how to use the primary and secondary colors to frame each web page in a way each element receives the appropriate promience.