Have you ever -
- searched for the logo to the left of the webpage?
2) The logout button on the right?
3) Scrolled down directly to the bottom of the Terms and condition to find the accept button?
4) Typed without looking at the keyboard?
Spatial memory is the ability of our brain to remember the locations of objects in the environment.
It’s used in the design for better navigation and discoverability.
But Aman, I thought good labels and visual cues were enough?
Good navigation design is surely enough. It becomes better with time as the user develop their spatial memory.
If I asked you to drive from your workspace to your home V/s from workspace to an unknown location (same distance) with the help of google maps, which of the above will be easier and quicker for you to do? Why?
Users use a reference -
If you are searching for the chat window, you will most probably start looking from the “bottom-right”
While different users use different points as a reference (and that is a mystery), you can still do great while maintaining the relative position to edges of the window and elements in its proximity.
Record the task time on the 1st day vs the 10th, while keeping the design the same, and you will know what I am talking about.
Be consistent.
#uxdesigner #spatialmemory
