Attention Ratio in UX Design: Minimize Distractions for Better User Experience
When designing a website, web application, or native mobile app, our goal is to create a logical and user-friendly experience. We labor over decisions regarding content, layout, visual style, and flow. We collaborate with teammates, including those who may not grasp UX principles as deeply as we do. To maintain quality, we must push back and challenge ideas that could lead to unintended consequences for the user experiences we create.
One effective way to communicate with teammates about design choices is by introducing the concept of Attention Ratio. If someone wants to add one more element to the page or an extra column of data to a table, you can use the Attention Ratio to defend your design decisions.
Unbounce defines the Attention Ratio concept as:
The ratio of links on a landing page to the number of campaign conversion goals. In an optimized campaign, your attention ratio should be 1:1. Because every campaign has one goal, every corresponding landing page should have only one call to action — one place to click.
While a marketing campaign may differ from an app experience, the underlying principle still applies. The more elements competing for our attention, the harder it becomes to make decisions. When designing an experience, the more distractions we present to users, the less likely they are to:
- Focus on the primary action
- Quickly understand the purpose of the page
- Take the desired action
More isn’t always better. To illustrate this concept memorably, consider the psychology study on jam choices in a supermarket. Too many options can overwhelm people, leading them to take no action at all.
Many elements compete for your attention: ads, red buttons, videos. What is the primary action on this recipe page? How many elements might distract you or slow you down? How are business goals and user goals misaligned? The numerous distractions result in a low Attention Ratio, confusing the user.
Remember the Attention Ratio concept when you must fight for your users.
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