7.8% Better Conversions by Simply Removing a Line + 3 Other Great Visual User Experience Tricks

• Removing a visually confounding lifeline helped a Dutch professional association boost their conversion rate by 7.8%
• Abstract and whimsical designs is more likely to trigger an emotion-based conversion than pictures of babies.
• Stock photos of people looking at your Call-to-Action will increase your odds at increasing opt-ins and conversion rates.

Web design Singapore experts know that improving UX design can be achieved through a wide range of strategies and tools. Today’s post specifically focuses on how to obtain better conversions by experimenting with the visual elements on your landing pages.

Case study: VVAA’s minor header image change

VVAA is a Dutch professional association, with a membership of more than 75,000 experts in the field. Its conversion page sported a horizontal line, also known as a lifeline, as can be seen in the control image on the left. The company ran an A/B test over 20 days, delivered to 7,885 people, to see if that line was harming the bottom line of their conversion rate.

Image source: VWO

The A/B test in question revealed that, indeed, the lifeline contained too many distracting elements. Let’s see what drew the user’s attention away from actually clicking the Call to Action button:

• The lifeline and the button blended into each other, as they had the same color;
• The lifeline featured two bubbles, one of which sat right under the button;
• The button was framed in a rectangle, with an arrow pointing straight to the bubble;
• The woman in the picture was looking at the bubble (and not the button).

All in all, the lifeline wasn’t helping much. But when it was removed, conversions increased by 7.8% – self-evident proof for the notion that decluttering visual space around the call-to-action button is of the essence.

3 types of visual web design Singapore end-user experiences

Psychology-focused marketer Nick Kolenda employs academic research to argue for the visual clues that trigger three discrete categories of conversions. For the goal of catalyzing user action, Kolenda offers stock photo selection advice that may come in handy for any web design Singapore professional.

Here are Kolenda’s tips, organized around the three categories of conversions:

Rational conversions

These are based on utility and logical arguments. According to Kolenda, the types of triggers that catalyze them include:

·         Images of brain scans

A 2008 study concluded that MRI/fMRI images concluded that articles that recount the conclusions of academic research can receive a capital of credibility from being illustrated with brain imaging outtakes. That’s because such visuals prompt associations with logical thinking.

·         Business-related imagery

A 2004 study has revealed that exposure to business-associated stimuli can trigger competitive behaviors.

·         Images that reinforce gender and racial stereotypes

Before you jump the gun, consider that this 1999 survey proved the power of priming one to form stereotypical associations with gender and race. They were asked to consider Asian-American women—but some participants were asked about race and others about gender.

At the end of the day, those who were primed about race formed an association with the stereotypical perception of Asians as astute logical thinkers.

Emotional conversions

These conversions are based on emotion-triggered decisions, such as personally relating to the topics of a lifestyle blog. The best stock photos you can choose for such conversions should be:

·         Cute, but whimsical

A 2014 study found that respondents who were shown the image on the left prior to making an Amazon gift card purchase were more likely to buy. Why did the baby lose out? Because babies are linked with caretaking, which counteracts the idea of indulgence.

Image source: Nick Kolenda

·         Smiling faces

The ‘chameleon effect’, studied in this 1999 paper says we tend to mimic the non-verbal behavior of others. As such, images of carefree, smiling people, are more likely to induce impulse buys.

·         People looking at the Call-to-Action

Image source: Tobii

This is one of the more famous heatmap images out there—and the one on the right yields better conversions. Why? Because following other people’s eyes has been proven to be a behavioral trait present in the human amygdala since ancient times.

Pro-social conversions

Morally-founded conversions include support for a Kickstarter campaign or donating to charity via the Internet. If selecting stock photos for a page that promotes these goals, consider using:

·         Images that turn people’s focus to themselves

How will this encourage them to donate? Being forced to focus on oneself induces a slight and temporary state of discomfort, which we then try to make amends for by behaving pro-socially.

Image source: Dreamstime.com

·         Images not related to business

Why? Because this 2006 study has revealed that business-associated imagery tends to make people adopt a ‘what’s in it for me’ mindset, which counters pro-social impulses like the wish to donate.

·         Religious imagery

It can be the word ‘God’, some crosses, or a symbol of blessings—a 2007 survey showed that people exposed to words in the semantic field of religion are more likely to behave ethically.