Illustrations are essential for websites and apps today. Though there are a lot of ways they can add to the UX, invoking emotions is one of the top reasons to use illustrations. By evoking emotions, it’s easier to make a connection with visitors, which helps keep them on the website or using the app. It’s easier to create new leads, encourage repeat visits, and increase the number of repeat users or buyers.
Connect With the Visitors
Emotions are the top way to connect with visitors. The right illustrations, whether they’re photos, clipart, or other types of illustrations, can add emotion to the website through their connection to the visitors. They may invoke humor, love, fear, sadness, and a host of other emotions based on the particular illustration used and the way in which it’s used on the website or in the app.
Offer Relatable Imagery
Using relatable imagery is another way to use emotion to add to the user experience. When someone can relate to the image, emotions are easily evoked. They can truly get an emotional feeling from the image that can increase their connection with the website or app being used or with the products or services being sold. This leads to more intense emotions, as the visitor truly understands what the image is trying to show.
Convey Moods or Tone
The right imagery on a website or in an app can invoke emotions further by conveying appropriate moods or tones. Humorous images can create a more lightweight mood, leading to happier emotions that can help users enjoy their experience more. Illustrations that are more serious in nature can create a more stern mood, invoking empathy, concern, urgency, or other emotions.
Create Further Engagement
By using illustrations, when emotions are invoked, it can create further engagement for users. Users are more likely to have an emotional response once they’re already connected and engaged with the website or app, so the further use of illustrations can help keep them engaged. It is crucial to choose the right illustrations, but doing so can lead to further engagement through the emotions felt when viewing those images.
Provide a Humorous Break
The right illustrations can invoke humor and happiness on a website or app. With everything going on in the outside world, people need a humorous break once in a while. They need a chance to just laugh and feel happy. The right images used on a website or app can provide the humorous break needed, encouraging a further connection with visitors and improving their user experience, even when things go wrong with the website or app or something isn’t as they expected.
Choosing the Right Images
With the ability for illustrations to invoke emotions and a variety of benefits of this, it’s imperative to opt for the right images or photos to place on the website or app. To do this, use the following tips.
Avoid Stock Photos – Stock photos do not invoke the emotional response a real photo or image might. Avoid stock photos or add to them to create a more emotional response in visitors.
Use Photos that Fit the Website or App – Keep in mind the use of the website or app when choosing photos. Invoking the wrong emotion, such as humor on a serious website or app, can send the wrong message to users or hurt the user experience.
Don’t Just Use Photos – Photos aren’t the only way to add illustrations to websites and apps to evoke emotions. Use other types of imagery as well, from clipart to artwork or infographics.
Keep the Theme or Branding in Mind – Keep the theme or branding of the website in mind at all times to avoid confusion or hurting the user experience. Even if the image fits with the emotion that should be conveyed, it may not be as effective if it sticks out because it doesn’t fit the branding.
Emotions control the actions of everyone and can vastly improve the user experience of a website or app when they’re used appropriately. Illustrations of all types can be used to invoke emotions and can have a huge impact on user experience by encouraging feelings, connecting with the users, and relating to the user’s personal experiences. However, it is important to choose the right illustrations to evoke the correct emotions to add to the user experience and keep visitors on the website or app.
If you’re planning on creating a website or app, consider the illustrations used carefully. It’s crucial to add images to break up white space or lengthy text, but they can do so much more than that. As they add emotion to the user experience, they can significantly improve the website or app and the experience visitors have. Consider the emotions images can add, how they’ll invoke these emotions, and what impact the user may have once they view the imagery to make sure the illustrations are right for the website or app.
Photo by Shubham Dhage on Unsplash
Article Source: Guillaume Dornier