That, my friend, is psychology at work. Psychological triggers cause you to act or react in a way that is predictable. Your mind responds to them either consciously or subconsciously. Proper use and placement can lead a customer through a web site. Even to point of purchase.

One of most powerful psychological triggers is “why”. Kids love to ask question why. Why is sky blue? Why do birds fly? Why can’t I have a pony? Anyone who has kids or has been a kid knows these questions well.

We are curious by nature. Asking ‘why’ in a header is similar to flipping curiosity switch. Our brain tells us that we “must know more!” And so we delve deeper into a sites content. Searching for answer our mind seeks.

Budweiser, in their infinite wisdom, came up with slogan of “Why ask why? Drink bud dry.” That simple phrase increased their sales exponentially.

Psychology is amazing when applied.

Website Psychology

Color Psychology and Psychological Triggers are powerful tools. Used together they are unbeatable! They have ability to increase productivity of any site, no matter design or navigation.

Now, Website Psychology would not be same without third process. It takes psychology a step further. You can reach people through color and triggers. That has been proven repeatedly. You can also control whether people read content of site or not.

The challenge has always been memorability. People do not always bookmark sites, nor do they return to every site they bookmark. Why? Because once site is bookmarked it is forgotten. A niche’ must be created in mind inspiring people to return.

Specific words are used causing mind to remember site. It is because of this process sites are bookmarked, remembered, and passed on. Grammatically challenged web sites can be just as successful as perfectly written sites.

Website Psychology is a new field. It is because of this fact that people have not heard about it, and do not understand its importance. Any website can be successful, but it takes more than a product, an idea, and a web designer to make it happen.

Taking a water-based product and placing it on a purple or orange site decreases marketability. Purple and orange are not immediately associated with water or nature and will give site and product a “false” impression. Placing that same product on a blue or green site will increase desire for that product. While we naturally associate water with colors blue and green, not all site designs adhere to this thought process. Sites that are nature related receive better responses when multiple colors of green are used then any other color or combination.

Multi-colored sites, or “rainbow sites,” have lowest visitation time. This is not case if site is predominantly white, while displaying only small amounts of various colors. As multiple colors decrease, time of visitation increases. Sites aimed at children, such as toy sites, often use a wide range of color to “entertain” visitor. While this is smart marketing, displaying large quantities of multiple colors decreases “fun” aspect as eye tries to focus and concentrate on overly busy page. A smart rule of thumb when using multiple colors: do not use more than 5 colors, keep them either “warm” or “cool,” and make background white. Fun is more fun when it is easy on eyes.

Warm and Cool Colors Warm colors are based on yellows, oranges, browns, yellow-greens, and orange-reds, colors commonly associated with fall or autumn. Generally, warm colors tend to be more exciting and aggressive. Many people prefer them in small doses. Purples and greens are intermediary colors, being either warm or cool, depending on how much red or yellow they contain in relation to blue. If color contains less blue then it is more likely to be a warm hue.

Cool colors are based on blues, greens, pinks, purples, blue-greens, magentas, and blue-reds, colors more commonly associated with spring and summer. Cool colors are soothing, calming colors and tend to be more popular than warm colors.

Creating a site with a combination of warm and cool colors confuses viewer. It will often make site seem busy, dirty, and untrustworthy. Site designers do not always realize that their color combinations are warm and cool. The use of a color wheel can be helpful. It shows Primary (red, yellow, and blue) and Secondary (orange, green, and purple) colors. Combining two primary colors creates secondary colors. All colors are made from some combination of white, black, and primary colors.

What does all of this mean to site designers? If you want your site to be marketable, remember that there is more to it than just graphic placement and text. Every color tells a story and it may not always fit one you are trying to portray. In informational design, distinguish functional color from decorative color. Decorative color enhances layout by making it more aesthetically appealing, creating a mood, or establishing a style. Functional color conveys information explicitly.

Last, but not least, a few rules of thumb Make sure choice of colors for a site fits intended content, and users’ expectations. Never use more colors than are necessary. Do not use colors that do not support or add to information being displayed. Remain consistent throughout site with your color choices, and leave rainbows for rainy days and for chasing pots of gold.