{"id":16531,"date":"2017-04-24T16:15:17","date_gmt":"2017-04-24T10:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.resellerclub.com\/?p=16531"},"modified":"2026-05-22T12:06:36","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T12:06:36","slug":"mind-games-6-psychology-hacks-to-improve-ux-increase-conversions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.resellerclub.com\/blog\/mind-games-6-psychology-hacks-to-improve-ux-increase-conversions\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Games: 6 Psychology hacks to improve UX & Increase Conversions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Psychology was my major in college and I went on to get my Master\u2019s degree in media and marketing communication. The combination of the two subjects (Psychology & Marketing) together – consumer behaviour is an area that interests me immensely. You know – how attractive packaging is important for the chocolate bar, the role emotion plays in purchase, the arrangement of the soap in the first row of the supermarket, the positioning of the peppermint candy at the billing queue as bait for \u201cimpulse buying\u201d. It fascinates me how psychology plays such an important role in consumer behaviour. <\/span><\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019m in the web solutions business, the same has translated to consumers of the web and my interest in web design, user experience and the role Psychology plays. Which colours are best? Do colours even matter? What about buttons? Does \u2018Click here\u2019 work better than \u2018Know more\u2019? <\/span><\/p>\n

While the understanding of the psyche of the customer is important for a marketer whose aim is to sell a product, it isn\u2019t the aim to sell at <\/span>any <\/span><\/i>cost by tricking the customer. A marketer\u2019s aim is to understand the customer\u2019s need and solve problems for him by tweaking the product (here, a website design) to get him the solution faster (eg. locating the Login option on a page).<\/span><\/p>\n

In this post, I\u2019ll share some psychology hacks to help make design user-friendly and thereby boost UX.<\/span><\/p>\n

Leverage white space <\/span><\/h3>\n

Yes, colour matters. In fact, colours and contrasts both can have an impact on a user. <\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology: <\/span>von Restorff Effect<\/b> also known as the “isolation <\/span>effect<\/b>“, predicts that when multiple homogenous stimuli are presented, the stimulus that differs from the rest is more likely to be remembered (definition: <\/span>Wikipedia<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

How to make use of it: What this simply means is if you want something to standout in your design or be remembered, keep it different from the rest. Take a look at this example here below<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Leverage-white-space\"<\/p>\n

The multiple homogenous stimuli is your design overall (could be the whitespace). The stimulus (the product) is what you want to make stand out. In our earlier post<\/a>, we explained how white space could help do this.<\/span><\/p>\n

Witty, catchy calls-to-action are key<\/h3>\n

Take a look at the example below & tell me with a straight face you wouldn\u2019t be tempted to push that button<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Why is that button so inviting?<\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology: <\/span>Reactance theory<\/b>– which says that if our freedom of choice is threatened, we feel compelled to protect that freedom, making us want the taboo thing even more (source: <\/span>gizmodo<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\n

How to make use of it: Exactly how Huemor used in it in this design. Of course, it\u2019s important to consider the type of audience, the overall design and the tone of the brand. <\/span><\/p>\n

Or you could use the psychology of curiosity in your calls-to-action like this one:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Create headlines worth remembering<\/h3>\n

Headlines are more important than you realise mostly because it\u2019s the first thing a visitor sees on a website and is therefore more likely to remember.<\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology: <\/span>The Primacy Effect<\/b> – The psychological phenomenon associated with memory that says items at the beginning of a list or string of information are more easily recalled than those in the middle. (source: <\/span>study.com<\/span><\/a>)<\/span><\/p>\n

How to use it: You want to make sure your titles and headlines are effective and convey exactly what your brand stands for or at least what you want the user to remember like the example below.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Optimize the bottom of the page<\/h3>\n

Designers and developers often tend to focus so much on the first fold (and rightly so) that the end of the page gets neglected. This is probably because we believe the first fold is most remembered and should be eye catching. What we don\u2019t realise is that the end of the page could be just as important. <\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology behind it: <\/span>Recency Effect: <\/b>(Very similar to the Primacy effect) says that items at the end of a list or string of information are more easily recalled than those in the middle. <\/span><\/p>\n

How to use it: Make your footers interesting or add information you want your user to remember about your brand. You can even add a call-to-action, in the likelihood that the visitor has scanned main part of your page and by the time he reaches the footer, there is opportunity to seal his decision.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Social proof is half the battle won<\/h3>\n

Human beings are such that if we see others doing something, we assume it must be the right (or cool) thing to do and so we want to do it too. <\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology behind it: <\/span>Social<\/b> proof, also known as <\/span>informational social influence<\/b>, is a psychological phenomenon where people assume the actions of others in an attempt to reflect correct behavior for a given situation. <\/span>(Definition: <\/span><\/i>Wikipedia<\/span><\/i><\/a>)<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

How to use it: Capitalise on the user\u2019s search for social proof by displaying genuine testimonials from those who\u2019ve used your product \/ service. Testimonials along with pictures are impactful. Ensure you keep it brief, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Show urgency<\/h3>\n

A few e-commerce sites use this tactic and you should too. <\/span><\/p>\n

The psychology behind it: <\/span>The Urgency Principle<\/b>: The urge to suspend deliberate thought and act quickly or immediately for the fear of losing out. <\/span><\/p>\n

The person recognises the importance of the situation as well as experiences bodily responses that make it more likely to act.<\/span><\/p>\n

How to use it: One of the problems with conversions are cognitive friction – the user waits too long, can\u2019t decide, gets distracted etc. To avoid this and increases chances of conversion, urgency is important. There are a couple of ways you can create urgency to increase conversions or purchase. You could add a counter or a ticker with \u2018x Days to go\u2019 or you could show scarcity with \u2018Only 1 item left in stock\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The trick to boost UX and ultimately improve conversions is to understand the psyche of the visitor. Years of study in the field of Psychology has enabled us to understand and predict behaviour across fields and industries including the web industry. It\u2019s quite interesting how a few tweaks can steer a user to make a purchase or click a button. Ensure you\u2019re doing it right.<\/span><\/p>\n

There\u2019s probably more we\u2019re yet to explore. Do you know any more psychology hacks to improve UX? Share it with us in the comments below!<\/span><\/p>\n

Not subscribed to our blog yet? Do it NOW to avoid missing great content!
\n<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n

See what I did there \ud83d\ude09<\/span><\/h6>\n

If you\u2019d like to write for us, leave us a comment & we\u2019ll get in touch with you!<\/p>\n

Reseller Club Hosting Services<\/h2>\n

Reseller Hosting<\/a> | Windows Reseller Hosting<\/a> | Cloud Hosting<\/a> | VPS Hosting<\/a> | Managed VPS Hosting<\/a> | Dedicated Server Hosting<\/a> | Windows Dedicated Server<\/a> | Managed Dedicated Server<\/a> | Linux Shared Hosting<\/a> | Windows Shared Hosting<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t <\/div><\/div>\n\t\t