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. And how that, in turn, impacts how buttons and UI elements are placed. If we read from left to right, where should the primary button go: left or right?"

"There's plenty of great articles here on Medium which unfolds this: 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 F-shaped reading pattern describes how users typically scan web content with strong attention across the top, a shorter second horizontal movement, and a vertical sweep down the left. The pattern was first identified by Jakob Nielsen and the Nielsen Norman Group around 2006 and resembles the letter F when users' eye movements are tracked. Button placement decisions should account for that scanning behavior as well as device form factor, visual hierarchy, and modern content consumption habits. Placement that aligns with natural eye paths and prioritizes contrast and spacing improves discoverability and conversion.

Read at Medium