Z-Shaped Pattern: 8 Wonderful Tips to Wield it’s Power

Introduction

Mastering the Z-Shaped Pattern will help you to engage more of your visitors. How is this possible? Because time is our most precious commodity. If you’ve read our article on the F-Shaped Pattern, you know how users engage with your site. If so, you know that users don’t read your site -at least not initially; they scan it. And because so much content is available, everyone suffers from information overload. There is more content than anyone could consume within a few lifetimes. Therefore, you have to entice your site visitors that it is worth their time to invest more and rather quickly!

How do you capture your visitor’s attention to entice them to read the content you’ve spent so much time developing? You have to catch their eye on that initial scan with something that grabs their attention to warrant engaging further. While this is easier said than done, a designer has the power to make that initial scan as intriguing as possible.

Putting in some time to understand the theory behind creating effective visual hierarchies will help keep visitors engaged and, ultimately, spend more time on your site. A firm grasp on understanding exactly how a visitor’s eyes process information is vital to leveraging this science. There are several patterns that research has identified, describing exactly how we scan material. In this article, we will discuss the Z-Shaped Pattern.

What exactly is the Z-Shaped pattern?

As the name implies, the pattern follows the shape of the letter “Z.” Surprise! It’s a common pattern used to scan content for areas of interest. When something catches our eyes, we go further; if not, we move on. This pattern applies to both print and web content. First, a visitor scans from the top left corner horizontally across the top of the page. Next, the scanning continues diagonally, moving down but back across the bottom-left corner of the page. Once at the bottom of the page, another horizontal scan towards the right side finishes the pattern.

Application

To use this pattern, ensure the content is a fit. A page heavily focused on text is not ideal; this rules out articles, documentation, and blog posts. For text-heavy pages, consider using the F-Shaped Pattern instead. The Z-shaped pattern works best with a minimalist design paired with a light load of copy. The pattern is ideal for simple pages, such as landing pages, where the page has just a few key elements that need emphasis.

Design Concepts

It would be best to answer key questions to help you with the design process. Those questions follow:

1. What do you want your visitors to notice immediately when they land on your page?
2. Of the content you have planned for the page, what is the order you would like to present said content to the visitor?
3. What is the call to action?

The answer to the questions above will aid you in presenting your most important content by mimicking the natural flow of the eyes as they scan. By catering to these natural phenomena, your content will invoke the visitor’s desire to engage further. But how do you create flow? The answer is to use visual weight and direction..

Content Placement

Since the top of the page is what your visitors will scan first, the essential items you want to convey to your visitors will occupy this area. The top left corner is your logo’s “prime real estate”; place it there to keep your visitors engaged with your brand. The end of the top should contain your call to action – for example, a login link or button. The top right is where using the visual weight we discussed earlier comes into play.

In the center of the page, you want to fill with content that will interest your visitors. The content you choose should encourage the natural diagonal slope towards the bottom of the page. A common tactic is to employ a hero image. This purpose is to act as a buffer between the top and bottom of the page. The hero image’s use is to guide the eyes to the bottom using the natural flow of our eyes.

At the bottom of the page, starting with the content in the left corner, guide your visitors to the final call to action in the bottom right corner. Since this is the last item your visitors see while scanning the page, use visual weight to call their attention to it and provide a call to action. For example, consider a landing page to get visitors to register for the site or sign up for a newsletter. How do you accomplish this? Put a colorful button in this prime piece of page real estate to get their attention and encourage them to take action.

Extending the pattern

can already hear some chatter about this technique works fine for simple designs without much content. How do you handle more complex designs with much more information than needs to be conveyed? Simple – extend it to multiple Zs. Stacking a series of Z-Shaped Patterns forms a zig-zag to extend over large sections of content. Once again, different content with images and alternate the flow to guide eyes along the Z continuum.

Conclusion

As we learned, the Z-Shaped Pattern has some key attributes that a designer can use to leverage the natural flow of our eyes while scanning content. Knowing how a visitor will consume information when scanning a page will allow you to place your content in the best places to leverage the science strategically.

By taking some time to think about ranking by importance and priority, you will create a road map that will aid with the placement of your content. The result is a content placement strategy that aligns with how visitors will naturally see your site when scanned. Aligning your site based on these facts is the key to driving action and engagement.

Keep the following tips in mind as you rank your content and consider placement:

1. The Z-Shaped pattern works best for pages that are not text heavy.
2. Always place your logo in top left corner, it’s the most important element of your brand.
3. The top right corner should contain the first call to action.
4. Utilize hero images to guide your visitors in a diagonal pattern towards the bottom of the page.
5. Bottom left corner contains additional content of interest to your audience. It should be compelling enough to guide them to the hard right edge of the page.
6. Bottom right corner will be your final call to action; its the action you want visitors to take.
7. If you have a lot of content to convey, break it up into a series of Zs. The series will form a zig-zag pattern while moving further down the page.
8. Remember, consistency is key. Ensure the Z-pattern is followed consistently across all website pages for a cohesive, user-friendly experience. Consistency will boost your site’s usability and enhance user engagement.

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