What do I mean by this, other than to state the obvious? Simply put, humans behave the same way consistently, across mediums. While the digital space is relatively new, most of the psychology that we apply to the web and other digital mediums are very similar to what we see exhibited in physical situations.
While there are certainly nuances, we can learn a lot from applying psychological observations affecting the physical world to the digital sector. The reason? The brain works the same way whether it’s looking at a screen or not.
Humans generally behave and interact with things the same way, regardless of the medium being viewed.
Stick to the basics when it comes to layout and design. Save shock-and-awe tactics for marketing and your message, keep your design simple and your information architecture straightforward. True, a little novelty can guide your visitors, but don’t throw out obvious design to do it.
Using similar design practices as the top 100 sites is like giving your visitors a manual before they come to your site and knowing they’ll read it. You’ll have a huge advantage over your competition when you can get straight to your message.
Do What Everyone Else Is Doing
Be very careful with where you implement creativity. Most creatives will tell you to something totally unique to differentiate your website from your competitors and to grab your visitors’ attention. We never tell our clients to do this. It is bad for your business.
Unless you’re a top 10 website, doing “what everyone else does” means that it’s that much easier for your visitors to ramp up to your site. Our minds learn patterns and look for those patterns everywhere. Sticking with those patterns is like pre-implanting your visitors with a manual to use your website. This implant is essential to your website’s success, and it will give you a serious leg up against any competing websites that try to “shake things up.”