Any website should fulfill several criteria.
First, it should look good. Secondly, have a convenient and clear navigation. Thirdly, to hold the attention of visitors for as long as possible. And finally, unobtrusively lead them through all stages of the conversion funnel, pushing them to take actions that meet the company’s goals.
Since the purpose of web design is to influence human behavior, designers are increasingly turning to the psychology of color, the correct application of which helps to create more effective interfaces. Color can play on cultural sensitivities, instill trust in the target audience, and create a sense of urgency or mystery.
If you want to develop more successful designs, you need to learn the basics of color psychology. The right colors can help set your customers in the right mood so that they take certain actions. Properly chosen color can increase conversion rates, attracting the attention of users and causing them the necessary emotions for the purchase of goods.
It is the color palette that often determines how people will perceive the brand and its values. Yet the main question remains unanswered: what color is right for my brand? What shade should I choose to make a strong impression?
Psychology plays an important role in the persuasion process. Remember that persuasion should be distinguished from coercion, manipulation or excessive persistence. The point is to change a person’s attitude towards certain things and encourage them to make a purchase or other targeted action.
Color and conversion
Studies have shown that there is a definite link between the color of a product and a person’s desire to purchase it. Every time we see a particular color, a chain of reactions takes place in a special part of the brain, the hypothalamus. The thyroid gland receives hormones that trigger emotions that affect our behavior.
In fact, 62 to 90% of buying decisions are driven by color! So, taking a closer look at the psychology of color will help significantly increase your website’s conversion rate.
When is color especially important?
You may not always think about whether you’re using the right colors, but they all matter. Pay special attention to:
- images;
- pop-ups;
- frames;
- headers;
- background colors;
- important banners and the first screen on the home page;
- buttons, especially calls to action.
Exactly which color will be most effective for each of the above elements depends on the target audience of the site. Let’s take a closer look at this topic.
Contrast and brightness
Brightness plays one of the key roles in the success of your website. It is generally believed that women prefer muted colors and men prefer brighter colors.
Contrast is another important factor that affects the readability of textual content. No one will want to strain too hard to understand what is written on a CTA button or other interface element.
Do not add too bright or, on the contrary, pale inscriptions on top of other content. Imagine a black “Buy Now” button on a dark gray background. Chances are, you won’t even notice it.
The color scheme of your website affects its accessibility and usability. Unnoticeable navigation elements and drop-down lists are just as bad as not having them at all. Open your site and study it, putting yourself in the user’s shoes, and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
Research in the psychology of color
The following case study was published on the Moz blog: a digital slot machine company simply changed the color of the call to action button from green to yellow. This resulted in a mind-boggling 187.4% increase in conversions!
Test different color schemes on your website, for example, compare several options using the A/B test. As a result, you’ll be able to choose the colors that will have the maximum impact on your target audience.
Consider another study that proves that the psychology of color plays an important role in design. In the academic community, the color red is usually associated with mistakes. Researchers from the University of Rochester decided to test this hypothesis and conducted 4 different experiments. They found that if a student uses the color red, such as wearing a red t-shirt, it actually has a negative effect on their academic performance.