Well lit paths

You hear about them all the time in terms of web site usability, but what exactly are they?

Well lit paths are exactly what they sound like, an easy to follow path to a specific goal.

When you’re designing a webpage, you always have to shoe-horn in a multitude of different items on a page, all visually competing with one another. The trick is to identify what you want your users to do on a page and ensuring that that stands out the most. 

The pop-out effect, as it’s sometimes called, is used to ensure that the user easily identifies the key call to action on the page. The one main thing you want them to do, whether it’s ‘Register now’ or buy a particular product, or upgrade to a better service, you want it to be obvious to the user how to do it.

So how do you do it?

You make sure that the item is in a prominent position, not crowded by other competing elements, you make sure that it’s big and you use colour to make it ‘pop’ out or stand out.

Take a look at the following page and tell me what you are supposed to do?

Now look at the following and see if you think it’s easier to figure out...

See what I mean? It’s not rocket science, just common sense...