When it comes to web designing, it is always better to follow a set guideline. Several guidelines and trends can be seen with the website designing. Some of these guidelines may not be relevant anymore. One of the guidelines that are F-Pattern has persisted for long enough. However, is it relevant even now? It is important to know practices of mobile-first design also.
What do you mean by F-Pattern?
Through F-pattern, a reader scans the webpage while looking at the content. Heat mapping technology and research may help you to know all about the existence of these patterns of web designing.
From the eye tracking studies, it has been seen that the F-pattern is not a perfect F shape. It can be looked as a reading pattern mostly. On the occasion, certain portion of the page may be read by the readers in full. Readers usually look at the top of the page then in the middle. Sometime, additional section of the content may be glanced by the readers at the beginning also. Here, they may follow an E pattern. Other parts of the page may be scanned very lightly through the left margin.
For both mobile phones, desktops and laptops, these patterns are followed. Mobile devices come with a horizontal shape. Still, top section of the page may be read by the reader in addition to little scanning down the page. Pattern may not be a complete F shape. However, it is definitely a similar concept.
Relevance of F-Pattern
Looking at F-pattern, one thing can be learnt by the web designer that is no one is going to look everything on your page. Therefore, it is better to place important information at the top of page.
Some may feel that it is a pessimistic way of designing a website. During creation of the pattern, it is looked as a pessimistic strategy. However, better approach has not been developed so far. Through analysis of the data, analyzers have managed to understand the behavior of the user. It is always important to build a website according to user’s actions.
However, web designer may not give the rein of the website completely to the visitors. Experience of the user with the website is controlled by the web designer in a very subtle manner. In this way, users are attracted to the website and given an excellent experience.
F-pattern may be followed by the user only if a subpar experience is delivered. In the end, it is possible to say that F-pattern may not very important or relevant.
F-Pattern: What a web designer can do?
For a web designer, it is important to understand the fact that the user is going to scan the page anyway. User may not have the patience to read the content at once thoroughly. So, scanning of the page must be encouraged by the web designers and copy writers. On the occasion, it is better to use short sentences. Information can be offered quickly through headers and sub headers also. Images, hyperlinks, bullet points, bolded text and enough space must be incorporated to deliver the content naturally.