Graphics help enhance user experience. The problem is that not all graphics enhance the experience, as some of them only confuse users. Graphics such as illustrations, icons, and images are not free. This means that they could eat up limited resources that might offer better value on other design elements like copy or navigation. To gauge whether a certain graphic could be worth your while, determine which classification they fall.
Graphics for Navigation
When graphics for navigation aren’t there, users will only depend on the words they see on the web pages. An image that’s visually descriptive would help users decide what to click on and what to do next. Navigational graphics complement the conversation, offering visual awareness that words alone couldn’t do.
Graphics to Complement Content
While graphics for navigation helps guide users in targeting information in a web page, digital marketing consultants in Minneapolis say that graphics complementing content delivers the particular information they’re searching for.
For example, somebody is looking for a new house and is browsing through a real estate developer’s website that features detailed views of all available homes for sale. The graphics — illustrations or images of the actual bedroom, living room, or kitchen — should then complement the content, as it aids users in obtaining the information they can’t get from words.
Graphics as Embellishments
In general, these types of graphics are there as ornaments to break up text or an entire page. This is fine since huge blocks of text could be an eyesore for many readers. You have to be extremely careful when choosing graphics, though. They should still add to the general appeal and context of a web page.
To sum up, graphics are useful to help navigate users, answer their questions, or beautify or clean up a site. They must improve the entire structure, design, and informative content of a web page, without having to distract users from their goals.
