97 Things Every UX Practitioner Should Know

Chapter 29. Use Visual Design to Create an Eye Track

Kevin Lynn Brown

One of the biggest dilemmas users face when interacting with something is discerning where to start and where to go next. The visual design of an interface is pivotal to helping users answer these two questions, not only at an application level but also at a page or individual interaction level. UX designers can assist users through visual cues to identify key elements of the interface. But taking it a step further through the use of visual design techniques, it’s possible to create an effective eye track or path for users to follow, thus leading them through the user experience.

At its base, design is a functional art, as opposed to fine art, which is an aesthetic art. There is overlap in that if a design is gracefully executed, it can have an artistic aesthetic quality as well—that is the pinnacle of design. This chapter focuses on the base level of design—making it functional and intuitive for users.

Whereas fine art communicates a message or an idea, design communicates a method or process. To communicate either an idea or a process by visual means alone, the designer/artist must control the viewer’s eye. The designer/artist must decide what the viewer should look at and in what order and apply visual effects to achieve those goals. The base visual tools we have for this purpose are color, contrast, size, ...