Web Design: Go Long, But Don’t Go Wide
By Anna Johnson on June 3rd, 2009As reported by BizReport, new research by the Catalyst Group confirms what many direct response Internet marketers have known for a long time: if you have a lot of content on your webpage, it’s better to require web visitors to read – and if necessary – scroll DOWN the page, rather across.
Catalyst Group’s eye tracking and usability research specifically focused on the response to layouts containing one versus three column lists. The researchers discovered that people more easily navigated, read and interacted with one column lists compared with three column lists.
In particular, where visitors were required to make a selection from a list, they found it easier to do so with one-column, rather than three-column, lists.
The Catalyst Group found that the three column layout displayed too much information at once for users to sort through, with no clear starting point.
The same principles apply to any kind of content. Single column, narrow text is easier for the eye to take in, and therefore easier to read. It’s also clear where to start: at the top.
Also, given that many web audiences come from all over the world, I suspect a single column also works better across different nationalities. Some people may read from left to right, some may read from right to left, and some may read from top to bottom… but I’ve never heard of anyone reading from bottom to top.
Are there exceptions to the single-column layout rule? I think so: where there is a clear, visual distinction between types of content on the webpage.
Two and three column layouts can be effective where there are clear, visual distinctions between the types of content in each column, and web visitors can instantly determine which type of content is most relevant to them.
Source: Kristina Knight, “Catalyst Group: One column layout more effective,” BizReport, May 27, 2009
