Getting new views on your pages and social media is very difficult. You do your research, plan your strategies, create your content, and publish it. But are you really attracting users' attention? The F Pattern can help you distribute your content better. Learn it!
With this visualization, you can get an idea of what a digital user sees when viewing content, and by understanding it, you can better plan your strategy and information layout. But what is the F Pattern?
The F marks a reading pattern that was discovered through research using the eye tracking technique, in which a scanner is placed on users to visualize the path of their eyes while reading content.
It was discovered that readers read a form of F, that is:
This research showed that almost 80% of people who browse the web skim, meaning they only read fragments of information. For website owners, this data is important, as the goal is to get people to enter and read our content until they reach the CTA. But almost no one focuses on the structure of their texts, so the F Pattern is very helpful.
These Fs can be seen through heat maps as in this example of these three pages with a different information architecture:
This Pattern F tells us that readers pay attention to the elements at the top left, due to the way we read. Users only read the first three paragraphs carefully, and as they scroll down, their attention fades.
After reaching the third paragraph, you'll need to recapture their attention with a demonstration of your product, service, solution, or entertaining images. Otherwise, they'll lose interest and move on to something more concise or compelling.
“Users try to minimize reading time and get the most out of the task with minimal effort.”
To create a good content creation and architecture strategy, you must consider three factors: the part of your website or publication you want users to review, the hierarchy of your content elements, and the final action you want them to take.
The first three paragraphs should present the most important information.
Try to move your CTA to the middle of your article, post, or web page.
Include subheadings, paragraphs, and bullet points with informational words that users might notice when skimming the bottom left side of the content that is at the end of their F-shaped reading pattern. They will read the third word of each line less often than the first two words.
Now that you know the F pattern and user behavior when it comes to your digital content, do you think you can create a better content strategy for your website and social media? If you'd like to learn more about optimization for your business, contact us.
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