Hello my nerdy friends,
I found an interesting study on button colors. Turns out, the same color can perform very differently depending on where it sits on the page.
The study:
Participants saw shopping pages with an “Add to Cart” button.
The button was either red or yellow and it appeared on either the left or right side of the page. After each version, people said how likely they were to click (Yang & Huang, 2017).
🧪What they found:
When the button was on the left, red worked better.
When it was on the right, yellow worked better.
Why?
People don’t look at a webpage all at once. They scan it from left to right in an F or Z pattern.
At the start of that scan, attention is low. Your brain reacts fast to color, before you start thinking. Red grabs your eyes in this early stage, which is why it works better on the left.
By the time your eyes reach the right side, attention is higher. Your brain has time to process meaning. Yellow then becomes more effective because its positive connotations (Yellow feels positive and friendly) are consciously activated.
Caveat
The study didn’t look into mobile versions of websites. I do think the logic still applies, though. If the button is the first thing people see - red makes more sense. If the button is lower down on the page, then maybe yellow. But this is my speculation, so take it with a grain of salt.
Also, the study didn’t look into other colors.
💡Takeaway
When placing buttons on the right, try yellow buttons(or possibly other friendly/trustworthy buttons like green or blue).
When placing buttons on the left, try red buttons.
Stay awesome my friend,
Ksenia (the biggest nerd)
P.S. Thank you to today’s awesome sponsor, Attio!
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