1. 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)
- Visuals Stick in Long-Term Memory
- Visuals are important to web content because of a few factors, starting with memory and information retention. Short-term and long-term memory relate to visuals and text in the same way; your brain retains one longer than the other. Studies show that your brain is more likely to store text and copy in the short-term memory capacity, and have the information go in one ear and out the other, in most cases. Visuals, on the other hand, are stored directly in the long-term memory capacity, allowing the user to resonate more with content from the same brand when they see familiar images. Having powerful images will also ensure a consumer remembers your brand over competitors who fail to predominantly use imagery. With this information, it’s important to remember that you should always include meaningful visuals to get the most out of an audience.
- Visuals Transmit Messages Faster
- Another reason why visuals are important to web content is because one of the main focuses of web content is to get your message across and understood as soon as possible, so the reader will realize what they’re there for sooner and stay if they’re interested. Luckily, visuals transmit messages faster than words, so it’s beneficial to use imagery to your advantage on a webpage. Images transmit messages faster because of a few reasons; one being that our eyes can register 36,000 visual messages an hour, which is 10 visual messages a minute (Briscoe, n.d.). This means that if you have correct imagery on the homepage of your website, relating to your brand and resonating with your audience, you have a greater chance of generating meaningful impressions, leading to conversions. Also, readers decide whether they’re staying or leaving a webpage within the first couple seconds of browsing, so having meaningful imagery can let them know what your website is about without boring them with a bunch of descriptive body copy.
- Visual Cues Trigger Emotions
- A third reason why visuals are extremely important and effective in web content is the fact that visual cues can trigger certain emotions from a reader. The same part of your brain that processes emotions also process visuals, making meaningful imagery that much more important to have, to increase content retention. When paired with the speed they transmit messages, images are a great way to make your intent and brand identity known as soon as someone opens your webpage, and they can decide if the image they’re looking at is something they like or not, and how it resonates with them, helping them decide how they feel about your brand. Emotional responses also help readers to make connections with your content, as emotions are some of the most prominent pieces of someone’s memory, so mixed with the brain’s retention of images, it combines for the most effective piece of content used in the industry and is no question why it’s important to include in a webpage.
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