User research: How users browse your site

In fact, internet users ' habit of browsing the web is not much different from the habit of shoppers browsing the items in the store. The user opens a new page, scans some text, and clicks on the first link that interests him. In this process, there are a large number of area users on the page that are not even seen at all. Most users look for interesting and clickable content on the page, and when they find the target, the click behavior happens, but if the page doesn't meet expectations, the back or Close button will be clicked immediately.

How the user browses your site

1. Most of the time the user is not reading the content on the screen, but scanning.

Users are accustomed to scanning and quickly looking for some key points on the page that will lead him to understand the content.

2. Do not test the patience of users

When a page does not meet the user's expectations, leaving is inevitable. The hope is that by adding content to enrich the page and retain users is often ineffective or counterproductive. The more information you have on a screen page, the heavier the burden of recognition, the more time you need to process information, and the extra effort you take to peel more information out of your mind if the information is not what users expect. JAKBO Nielsen's findings also suggest that the heavier the burden of understanding on one page, the more difficult it is to navigate and navigate, and the greater the likelihood of users leaving and looking for alternatives.

3. Users do not make the best choice

Users are not searching for the quickest way to find the best option, nor are they reading content on the screen in a linear way (sequentially from one module to another). When the user finds the first reasonable option, or once the possible target content is found, the likelihood of clicking immediately is very high. In fact, users are looking for content that makes them feel adequate or suitable, rather than looking for the best choice, the reason is intuitive, let the user to do the best choice to spend a lot of time and energy, that is already testing the user's patience (choice is the cost).

Images from Eyetools can be seen in the user's browsing and non-linear browsing trajectory.

Jakbo Nielsen's F-shaped browse hot zone

JAKBO Nielsen has tracked the eye movement of 232 users browsing thousands of pages, and found that the user's browsing behavior at different sites had a significant consistency, and the browse hotspot was visualized to show a similar f-shaped pattern. This browsing behavior has three characteristics:

1. Users will first view the top of the content area horizontally.

2. The user looks down a distance and then browses horizontally again in a small range.

3. The final user will do a quick portrait browsing on the left side of the content area.

PS. Obviously, the browsing behavior of the user is not exactly inclusive of the three processes, sometimes, after these three processes, there will also be horizontal browsing at the bottom of the hotspot, so that the entire browse Hot zone diagram looks more like e rather than f. Also sometimes, users only reflect the behavior of the above 1 and behavior 3, so that browse the hot zone image an inverted L. Overall, however, the user's screen-viewing hot-zone map reflects the F image more consistently.

How to use F-shaped reading behavior to design:

1. The user does not browse all content on the page (large blank areas outside F)

2. Place the most important information in the first two sections (two transverse hot zones in the F hot zone)

3. In the subsequent content, the key words and information in the first paragraph, so that users in the left vertical browsing can be more easily noticed.

Summary and Revelation

1. The user is accustomed to scanning rather than reading

2. Users are not interested in all the content on the page

3. Do not test the user's patience, do not increase the user's cognitive burden

4. Users do not make the best choice

5. The user on the screen of the viewing hot zone as a whole conforms to "F-shaped"

6. For f-shaped browsing behavior, put the most important information on the top, the relevant key content and information on the left side of the content area.