3 ms·

I like JN, but these kinds of studies don't tell the full story. If you did A/B comparisons of the Yale page with and without images, which would convert better

I like JN, but these kinds of studies don't tell the full story. If you did A/B comparisons of the Yale page with and without images, which would convert better? I have a feeling that it would be the one with the picture. The eye tracker finds the images ignored, but it isn't meant to be scrutinized, it sets a tone for the page. pictures have very different roles in an ecommerce setting vs. an aspirational info page. it isn't an apples to apples comparison. I wouldn't care so much except JN does such a good job marketing himself that studies like these become gospel in design reviews because they seem scientific even though they are built on poor assumptions.

benohear 16y ago
I had similar thoughts when reading his eyetracking book. In many ways it would be more problematic if these decorative images were getting a lot of attention; it would mean they were distracting from the content.
gigawatt 16y ago
I agree. The photo on that page serves the same function as white space. It also helps the page feel less like a wall of text and more easily digestible. Plus, one can get the gist of the image without ever actually focusing on it.
nhebb 16y ago
I think JN's choice of the Yale photo was a bad example. It shows a collegial, multi-ethnic, communal environment that probably was meant to convey an image. By contrast, I've been to software sites where the stock photos of smiling people all gazing at a single laptop screen look positively asinine. Even worse are the glass and steel building photos that are meant to convey "business". Those types of images are worthless and ignored.
- GFischer 16y ago
  We need these studies to verify these assertions. Does the average user of page X feel reassured by the stock photos? By demographic? By other categorizations? (web literacy, education level, income, whatever). What works for some might not work for others.

benohear 16y ago

I had similar thoughts when reading his eyetracking book. In many ways it would be more problematic if these decorative images were getting a lot of attention; it would mean they were distracting from the content.

gigawatt 16y ago

I agree. The photo on that page serves the same function as white space. It also helps the page feel less like a wall of text and more easily digestible. Plus, one can get the gist of the image without ever actually focusing on it.

nhebb 16y ago

I think JN's choice of the Yale photo was a bad example. It shows a collegial, multi-ethnic, communal environment that probably was meant to convey an image. By contrast, I've been to software sites where the stock photos of smiling people all gazing at a single laptop screen look positively asinine. Even worse are the glass and steel building photos that are meant to convey "business". Those types of images are worthless and ignored.

GFischer 16y ago
We need these studies to verify these assertions. Does the average user of page X feel reassured by the stock photos? By demographic? By other categorizations? (web literacy, education level, income, whatever). What works for some might not work for others.