According to a study by MDG Advertising, 67% of customers consider high-quality images on online resources are significant factors when choosing and buying a product. Web designers use photographs of animals, food, beautiful landscapes, and architecture, but pictures of people play a key role in user interaction.
The human face is a powerful tool when it comes to visual perception. Regardless of page content, a person first pays attention to the face, while text and illustrations fade into the background. When we see or meet someone for the first time we are immediately struck by emotion. A human face can make us feel a whole array of emotions, whether it be happy, angry, curious, sad, excited, and more.
We are constantly soaking up information, looking for patterns and for connections that make us feel good and better understand any given situation.
This article covers 4 different reasons why you should consider using imagery of the human face on your website, with practical ways to implement this.
1. Grabs Your Attention
Eye contact is one of the most important aspects of communication and is likewise just as important on-screen as it is in real life. Eye contact helps you come across as more interested, happy, and confident. When we see a picture of a person looking straight at us, they immediately grab our attention.
What does the person look like? Are they happy and smiling? A picture can say so much. You can find yourself instantly happy all because of just one picture.
We all love pictures. In Neuro Web Design, Susan M. Weinshenk states that “Our brains are built to process pictures, and we think in pictures, so presenting information as pictures is the most efficient way to present information to people” This is why it is so important to use high-quality pictures.
A picture of a person will not only grab your attention but will also leave a lasting impression.
2. Builds Trust
Trust is something usually won over time. One of the techniques to speed up that process is by making an emotional connection.
We are without a doubt visual beings. It is said 90 percent of all information that we perceive and that gets transmitted to our brains is visual. A photo of a person can subconsciously build trust.
When we see another person an emotional connection is made. You want that emotion to be good, so of course, the person must look trustworthy and friendly. A smiling face, eye contact, body language are all things one must consider. These are very important factors in getting a visitor to trust you.
Just be careful, because all faces are not created equal when it comes to trustworthiness as science proves. All of us rely on certain visual cues which unconsciously determine how we feel about the people we see. It turns out some people seem to be more trustworthy than others.
There are some obvious visual cues that give off negative signals, such as a creepy mustache or an obvious snarl. But, things like facial width-to-height ratio (the distance between the two extremes of the cheekbones, and the distance from the upper lip to the eyebrows) can unconsciously signal to our brain how trustworthy a person is. People that have wide faces are perceived as less trustworthy than those with higher faces, as are blue eyes versus brown.
When choosing human face imagery, make sure to consider how trustworthy they look not only to you but also ask others how they feel about a particular face.
3. Helps Visitors Relate
Aaron Walter is a User Experience designer and in his book Designing for Emotion, he explains why we enjoy human faces so much. He states that we are constantly exploring the world around us by looking for something familiar. Think of when you see a friend. They are a familiar face, one that you like. We are immediately put at ease. This is because familiarity gives us a feeling of comfort and reassurance.
Think of who is selling to. If you don’t have a customer profile already in place, you should be asking yourself questions like these:
- Where does your customer like to spend their free time?
- How old are they?
- Why would they choose your store over another?
- What are their morals and values?
Being able to answer these questions will give you a good idea of what sort of person they may relate to best, and guide your decisions for imagery to use.
4. Guide A Vistors Focus
In Steve Krug’s book Don’t Make Me Think he states that “we don’t read pages. We scan them” He further explains we can because we’re usually in a hurry, we know we don’t need to read everything and we’ve become good at it.
Now, while this is not necessarily true on every occasion there is definitely some truth behind it. Maybe even a lot of truth. For those who choose to scan your site, or even for those taking their time, using a human face can help guide them in the right direction. Take this screenshot for an example.
Notice where the woman’s eyes are directed in the picture? We immediately follow the direction of her glance to where she is looking. This makes us curious. What is she looking at? Why is she looking there? This is an excellent way to engage people and get them to read what you want them to.
Engaging customers while on your eCommerce store is incredibly important. Any way that you can build a relationship with them is sure to make it more likely that they’ll come back.
Even if they don’t buy anything the first time, if you create a lasting impression in their mind, they’ll return when they are ready to make a purchase. If you haven’t tried using imagery of a human face on your eCommerce store, give it a try and see how it converts.
Final words
It is crucial to use high-quality and realistic images on your eCommerce store, but often resources use photos that do not meet the main goal – to present a company and sell a service or product. From a marketing point of view, the design should create a pleasant atmosphere, captivate the user, and help make a purchase.
Eyes are the key factor in recognizing emotions, by looking in the eyes, it is easier to understand if the face is dynamic and active. Direct eye contact is most persuasive, so focusing on the eyes is critical when creating designs that use images of people. The correct use of human faces in UX design can have a positive impact on the user experience. The eye-catching ability of human faces opens up another opportunity for powerful design. Expression and line of sight guide the user’s gaze, form the desired impression and attract attention.
