Step 01 of 07
The homepage
The first impression, and the way in.
Most visitors decide quickly whether a site is worth their time, so the homepage has to earn that first and then send people somewhere useful. These 46 principles cover first impressions, what gets noticed, and how to offer a way in without overwhelming.
Cognitive load and fluency Aesthetic-usability effect Attractive designs tend to be judged easier to use before people have used them, and that first impression forms in a fraction of a second. Mainly Homepage, also Sitewide, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Emotion and memory Affect heuristic Feelings about something steer judgements of its risks and benefits. Mainly Homepage, also ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Strong Attention and perception Banner blindness People tend to overlook content that looks like an advert or sits where adverts usually appear. Mainly Homepage, also Sitewide, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Motivation and commitment Curiosity gap A gap between what people know and want to know motivates them to close it. Mainly Homepage, also Product, Post-purchaseMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Attention and perception Gaze cueing People automatically look where others are looking. Mainly Homepage, also ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Emotion and memory Halo effect One strong positive impression colours judgement of other, unrelated qualities. Mainly Homepage, also Sitewide, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Strong Social influence Social identity People favour brands and groups that reflect who they think they are. Mainly Homepage, also Product, Post-purchaseMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Pricing and value perception Anchoring The first number people see biases their judgement of later numbers. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, CartMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Social influence Authority People defer to credible experts and institutions. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Sitewide, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Social influence Bandwagon effect Demand for something rises when people see others choosing it. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Choice architecture Centre-stage effect In a small row of similar items shown side by side, the one in the centre gets more attention and is chosen more often. Mainly Category, also Product, HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Choice architecture Choice overload Too many options can reduce the likelihood of buying and satisfaction afterwards, but only under certain conditions. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, Sitewide, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Contested Motivation and commitment Commitment and consistency After agreeing to a small request, people are somewhat more likely to agree to a larger related one. Mainly Checkout, also Homepage, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Contested Choice architecture Consideration set formation Shoppers first narrow to a small set they will seriously evaluate, adding an option only if it seems worth the effort of evaluating. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Framework Pricing and value perception Discount framing (% vs £) The same discount feels bigger as a percentage on cheap items and as a cash amount on expensive ones. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, CartMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Attention and perception Display orientation (list vs grid) Vertical lists are read top-down with strong position effects; grids and horizontal rows are scanned more broadly. Mainly Search, also Homepage, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Motivation and commitment Fogg behaviour model A behaviour happens when motivation, ability and a prompt come together at the same moment. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, Product, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Not tested in shopping Framework Choice architecture Framing effect The same information leads to different choices depending on how it is presented. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, CartMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Strong Motivation and commitment Habit formation Behaviour repeated in a stable context becomes cued by that context and continues with little deliberation. Mainly Post-purchase, also Sitewide, Homepage, CartMainly here Tested on real shoppers Framework Choice architecture Hick's law The time taken to choose rises with the number of options, but only with its logarithm, so each extra option adds less time than the last. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, CheckoutMainly here Not tested in shopping Strong Attention and perception Information scent (information foraging) People follow cues that predict whether a path is worth the effort, and abandon it when the 'scent' weakens. Mainly Search, also Sitewide, Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Framework Choice architecture Interactive decision aids Tools that screen options and lay finalists side by side cut effort and improve decisions, and also steer which attributes matter. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Social influence Liking and similarity We are more persuaded by people who are like us. Mainly Product, also HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Attention and perception Mental simulation Content that helps people imagine using a product can raise purchase intent. Mainly Product, also HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Choice architecture Mere categorisation effect Splitting a range into more categories makes it feel more varied and leaves shoppers more satisfied, especially unfamiliar ones. Mainly Category, also Sitewide, Search, HomepageMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Emotion and memory Mere exposure effect Repeated exposure to something tends to increase liking for it, up to a point. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Post-purchaseMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Strong Emotion and memory Narrative transportation Being absorbed in a story reduces counter-arguing and shifts attitudes. Mainly Product, also HomepageMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Strong Trust and risk reduction Online trust formation Willingness to buy online depends on beliefs about the seller's competence and integrity, plus structural assurances. Mainly Checkout, also Homepage, Sitewide, ProductMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Attention and perception Picture superiority effect Images are remembered better than words. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, SearchMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Choice architecture Position (rank) bias Items higher in a ranked list get disproportionately more attention and clicks, whatever their true relevance. Mainly Search, also Category, HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Trust and risk reduction Precise-number credibility Specific numbers read as more factual than round ones. Mainly Product, also HomepageMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Cognitive load and fluency Processing fluency Things that are easy to read and take in tend to be liked more, and choices between them feel easier to make. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Social influence Prosocial referral rewards People refer more effectively when the reward goes to their friend, because referring then looks generous and the friend has a reason to act. Mainly Post-purchase, also Sitewide, HomepageMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Cognitive load and fluency Prototypicality (Jakob's law) People prefer sites that look and work like the ones they already know. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, CheckoutMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Motivation and commitment Psychological reactance People push back when they feel their freedom to choose is being taken away. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, CheckoutMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Social influence Reciprocity People feel obliged to return a favour. Mainly Cart, also Homepage, Product, Post-purchaseMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Cognitive load and fluency Response-time thresholds (Doherty) Delays beyond roughly 0.1s, 1s and 10s break the feeling of directness, flow and attention in turn. Mainly Sitewide, also Homepage, Category, Search, Product, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate Choice architecture Satisficing Most people stop at the first option that is good enough rather than hunting for the best. Mainly Search, also Homepage, Category, ProductMainly here Not tested in shopping Framework Attention and perception Scanning patterns (F-pattern) People scan web pages rather than read them, and on text with little formatting their attention concentrates at the top and left. Mainly Category, also Homepage, Product, SearchMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Emotion and memory Self-reference effect Information that relates to oneself is processed more deeply and remembered better. Mainly Product, also HomepageMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Strong Trust and risk reduction Signalling theory Costly commitments signal quality that shoppers cannot observe directly. Mainly Product, also Homepage, SitewideMainly here Tested on real shoppers Framework Social influence Social proof When unsure, people look to what others have done and follow it. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Category, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Strong Loss and scarcity Urgency (time limits) Deadlines can speed up decisions, and restrictions can signal that a deal is good. Mainly Product, also Homepage, Cart, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Contested Attention and perception Visual preference heuristic Shoppers prefer image-led assortments and see more variety in them, but large image-led sets are scanned less carefully and feel more overwhelming than text. Mainly Search, also Homepage, CategoryMainly here Tested in shopping-like settings Moderate Motivation and commitment Zeigarnik / Ovsiankina effect Unfinished tasks create a pull to return and complete them. Mainly Cart, also Homepage, CheckoutMainly here Not tested in shopping Contested Pricing and value perception Zero-price effect 'Free' is disproportionately more attractive than a very low price. Mainly Cart, also Homepage, Product, CheckoutMainly here Tested on real shoppers Moderate
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