- As discussed in class, please provide three reasons why visuals are important to web content. Please ensure you go into detail for each item. (6 Marks)
To begin, the three most important reasons as to why visuals are so important to web content is because visuals stick in your long-term memory, they transmit information much faster, and they improve comprehension.
Visuals play a very important role in web content due to their capability to be able to deeply engage users as well as improve their overall experience. One of the key reasons for their importance is their ability to be able to stick in the long-term memory of consumers. By presenting important information visually, whether through videos, images, or infographics, websites can make it easier for consumers to recall key details. This is effective as visuals help people in retaining information in a memorable format, which helps ensure that the users retain the content for an extended period. For example, a website that uses vibrant visuals with textual content, it not only captures users’ attention, but it also helps increase the likelihood of the users recalling and remembering the information later; this helps reinforce the messages that are being communicated by a brand.
Additionally, visuals help transmit information much faster. Unlike just plain text upon text, which requires time for customers to read and process, visuals convey the messages that would be shown in text, but in a fraction of the time. The human’s brain’s fast picture processing, which can occur in just milliseconds, as learned in class, allows for the viewer to easily absorb the importance of the information without having to put much mental effort. Another example being if you were to leave someone in front of two screens, one screen having text information, and one screen having text information AND visual images backing up the text information. Then you were to ask the customer a few hours after what they remembered the most, the customer will say the screen with the visuals. This is because, as learned in class, that 90% of information going to our bran is visual compared to information that isn’t visual. Furthermore, visuals are important for web because they help improve comprehension. As discussed in class, research suggests that visuals can improve learning up to 400% compared to just text alone. Visuals have the power to also help evoke emptions, which can impact comprehension and retention amongst consumers, especially women who tend to act out of emotions more than men. Whether it’s creating positive or negative emotions, visuals trigger responses that help people connect more deeply with the content being provided, leading to better understanding and comprehension. Ultimately, visuals serve as a powerful tool for enhancing comprehension by engaging emotional processes, which leads to more effective outcomes for websites and brands. In summary, visuals are very important to web content as they deeply engage the users and help enhance their overall experience.