How reading patterns have changed

"I want to revisit the age old question about "button placement", to see how UX may have shifted, and how the technology we have now may have changed the way we consume content."

"If we read from left to right, where should the primary button go: left or right?"

"The classic F-shaped reading pattern that a user typically scans a page in. This F-shaped pattern was first identified by Jakob Nielsen and the Nielsen Norman Group, almost 20 years ago - back in 2006. It's called the F-shaped pattern because of the somewhat similarities to the letter "F", when you eye-track the user reading a webpage and how the start and where they end."

The question of primary button placement examines whether left-to-right readers expect the main action on the left or the right of an interface. Reading direction, scanning behavior, and modern content consumption across devices shape placement decisions. The F-shaped reading pattern describes initial wide horizontal scanning near the top, a shorter second horizontal movement, and a vertical left-side scan that guides attention. Changes in layouts, device form factors, and attention patterns require revisiting placement conventions. Optimal placement depends on aligning button prominence and position with observed scanning behavior and context-specific usability testing.

Read at Medium