How reading patterns have changed
Article Overview
The article, penned by Marcus Fleckner, sets out to re-examine the fundamental question of button placement in UX/UI design, positing that shifts in technology and content consumption habits necessitate a fresh look at established design principles. The central thesis revolves around the idea that traditional user reading patterns, particularly the widely recognized F-shaped pattern, may be evolving, thereby impacting the optimal positioning of interactive elements like primary buttons.
The author introduces the classic F-shaped reading pattern, a concept first identified by Jakob Nielsen and the Nielsen Norman Group (NN/g) in 2006. This pattern describes how users typically scan web pages: initially with a horizontal movement across the top of the content, followed by a slightly shorter horizontal scan lower down, and finally a vertical scan down the left side of the page. This creates a visual path resembling the letter 'F' when eye-tracking data is analyzed. The article emphasizes that this pattern has been a cornerstone of understanding how users process information on static web pages for nearly two decades.
While the article prominently features an image contrasting "F-shaped reading vs. 'Feed-shaped' interactions," and mentions the potential impact of modern technology on content consumption, it primarily focuses on describing the F-shaped pattern. It does not elaborate on what "feed-shaped" interactions entail or how they specifically differ from the F-shaped model, nor does it provide specific examples, data, or conclusions regarding this newer pattern. The article serves more as an introduction to the topic, pointing to external resources by Oscar Gonzalez, Jon Lehman, and Vincent Xia for further reading on button placement debates, rather than offering a detailed analysis of changed patterns itself.
Ultimately, the article's core argument is that designers need to consider how users consume content in the modern digital landscape, which may challenge the long-held assumptions derived from the F-shaped pattern, especially concerning the placement of critical UI elements like primary calls-to-action (CTAs). However, it stops short of providing a detailed exploration of these new patterns or specific recommendations.
Impact on Design Practice
This article serves as a crucial reminder for UX/UI designers to continually question and re-evaluate established design heuristics, particularly those related to user scanning patterns and element placement. While the F-shaped pattern has been a foundational concept for optimizing content hierarchy and call-to-action (CTA) visibility on traditional web pages, the article implies that the rise of continuous scrolling feeds and mobile-first interfaces might be altering how users visually navigate and interact with digital content.
For designers, this means that blindly adhering to the F-shaped pattern for all layouts might lead to suboptimal user experiences, especially in contexts like social media feeds, news aggregators, or e-commerce product listings where vertical scrolling is dominant. It encourages a shift from designing for a static, top-heavy scan to considering a more dynamic, vertically-oriented consumption flow. Designers should therefore prioritize user research and A/B testing to understand actual user behavior on their specific platforms, rather than relying solely on historical patterns.
Ultimately, the article prompts designers to think critically about the 'why' behind button placement – whether it's on the left or right – and to consider how a user's journey through a page, influenced by modern interaction models, dictates the most intuitive and effective positioning of interactive elements. It's like a chef understanding that while a classic recipe works, modern palates might prefer a new twist, requiring them to observe and adapt.
Designers must re-evaluate traditional F-shaped reading patterns against evolving "feed-shaped" interactions to optimize UI element placement for modern content consumption habits.