Reading Response 6

The chapters assigned from Digital Foundations about layouts and attracting attention on a page got me thinking about all the different eye patterns I have learned throughout my coursework. I have encountered three different patterns in three different courses. This semester I am taking an E-Business & E-Commerce class in which we are learning about search engine advertising. A controversial activity many companies like Google and Yahoo are incorporating into displayed search results are "Paid Inclusions". Many search engine users believe that the list of links generated on a page are entirely the result of an organic algorithm. This is not always the case. Many search engines sell rankings based on a proven "F" eye pattern.

The pattern suggests that the majority of users will read the first 2-3 links while continuing to scan down to the bottom page. Based on this diagram, companies agree to participate in paid inclusion ranking which will guarantee that the link to their site will appear in one of the "hot" areas as illustrated on a Google results page below.

The other pattern I have encountered in class is the Gutenberg Diagonal. In a course I took called Advanced Professional Communications, we learned about design layouts for content which is evenly distributed, like a block of text in a professional document.

The Diagonal proposes that the the content can be divided into four quadrant which the eyes sweep down and across. Gutenberg explained that the weak and strong fallow areas are outside of the natural reading gravity and receive the least amount of attention. In this pattern, the most important information would be placed along the reading gravity path; so perhaps a logo in the upper left and contact information or a link in the lower right.

The last pattern I have come across in my studies is the "Z" Pattern. While taking an advertising course we briefly went over layout design when the content is not just text and there is a visual hierarchy for which the designer is aiming.

This pattern is used when there is information the designer wants to be easily seen first (aka the start of the visual hierarchy). The idea is, if everything on the page is equal than nothing will in fact stand out and the message is lost. So while taking this "Z" eye pattern into account, the designer usually incorporates three visual levels. The first is the primary level which should draw the reader in and capture attention, like a headline or tagline. As the eyes continue to move along the pattern, the primary level should lead into the secondary level. The purpose of this level is to continue drawing the reader's attention toward the main context which is located in the tertiary level. Chances are if the reader has engaged with the primary and secondary levels enough to make it to the tertiary level, he or she is interested enough in the topic to also engage with this level and consume the details of the message.

It will be very interesting to hear the patterns associated most with web content (other than search engines) and if there is another emerging eye pattern specifically for a scroll-able computer screen.