5 Insights on Font Psychology That'll Enhance Your UX Design

When UX Designers talk about UX, they are talking about getting the user to perform a task or take action. UX Design is also known as User Interface (UI) design, and it refers to designing the interface between computer systems and users. Font personality in UX design refers to how fonts may affect human decisions when interacting with software applications. 

It is important to consider the type of personality that your font conveys when UX designing. The right font can help convey a feeling and make users more likely to take action on your site. Fonts with certain personalities will also affect how people feel about your work. That's why it's important to be aware of font psychology - the science behind choosing which fonts work best for your user experience and content. In this article, we'll discuss 5 insights from font psychology research that will help improve your UX design: 

1. Serif Fonts vs. Sans-Serif Fonts

Font psychology research has revealed that serif fonts are more legible than sans-serif fonts. People who read text printed in a serif font can actually comprehend it faster and retain the information longer than those reading sans-serif fonts (the most common of which is Helvetica, or Arial in MS Word).

The reasoning behind this is that serif fonts are easier to read and comprehend than sans-serif fonts.

It's no surprise that UX designers recommend using a serif font for any UX design where the user has to read some text - be it in an article or on your website. For example, UX designers suggest using a serif font like Georgia if you're designing an online course.

This is because the number of characters per line can affect comprehension speed and retention, and studies have shown that users prefer text printed in serif fonts to be displayed with more characters per line than sans-serif fonts (meaning they prefer reading longer lines). This is because the more eye-strain a person experiences, the less they can read.

The UX designer's general rule of thumb is to use serif fonts for content and sans-serif fonts for headings or captions (since they're often short). But that doesn't mean you have to choose between one or the other. UX designers have a few tricks up their sleeves to pair the perfect fonts together and achieve great UX design:

One trick is using two different font families, where one family has serifs (like Times New Roman), and the other does not (like Arial). This can help create emphasis between headings/captions and content.

Another trick is using two fonts from the same font family but different styles (like bold and italic). However, a UX designer might use a serif font for content with an accompanying italicized caption or heading. Font psychology research has shown that people prefer thin fonts, bold or extra-large ones. This means they prefer Georgia to Arial Bold.

Font psychology research has also shown that italics can make text appear more important and emphasize (which is why UX designers often use the technique for headings). UX designers have another trick to accomplish this effect: they pair a thin font with an italicized font from the same family. For example, UX designers often pair Helvetica Neue Thin with Georgia Italic.

The right color and size choices matter, too. UX design research has shown that people prefer black text on a white background to other colors (like red or blue). This is why most websites will use white as the default background color for any content they display in black. UX design research has also shown that people prefer text printed in 12-point size or above to be legible and easy on the eyes (meaning they like reading larger font sizes).

Font psychology is one of many UX design principles UX designers use when designing their products, websites, apps, etc. It's important to remember that while UX design is rooted in UX psychology, UX design goes beyond just choosing fonts and colors aesthetically pleasing for users. 

Besides, UX designers also think about things like user flow (in what order should a user do certain tasks?), information architecture (how will the content be organized?), and more when designing software products that have to work well on both desktop computers and mobile devices. UX designers are UX psychologists that use UX psychology to design better products.

2. People Prefer Thin Fonts To Bold Or Extra Large Ones

Research has shown that people prefer thin fonts, bold or extra-large ones. This means they prefer Georgia to Arial Bold, which UX designers often use for headings.

This is why UX designers often pair Helvetica Neue Thin with Georgia Italic. This way, you'll get the best of both worlds: legibility and aesthetics. UX design doesn't just include choosing fonts and colors aesthetically pleasing for users. UX designers also think about things like user flow (in what order should a user do certain tasks?) and information architecture (how will the content be organized?) when designing UX products that work well on desktop computers and mobile devices. 

UX design is rooted in UX psychology but goes beyond just choosing aesthetically pleasing fonts and colors for users. UX designers are UX psychologists who use UX psychology in their work to make UX design better for users.

3. Italics Can Make Text Appear More Important 

Italics Can Make Text Appear More Important, which is why UX designers should take advantage of using italicized fonts in their content. Fonts that are bold or extra-large can be distracting and make users lose focus on the main goal behind reading a blog post. A UX designer with an understanding of font psychology will know to avoid using bold fonts and instead use italics to catch their UX design user's attention. 

4. The Right Color And Size Choices Matter

When it comes to UX design, you want your users to find the information they're looking for as quickly and effortlessly as possible. Fonts are a huge part of UX design because fonts can help guide your users' eyes towards what's important on each page of your website or app. 

The right color and size choices matter, too. UX design research has shown that people prefer black text on a white background to other colors (like red or blue). UX design research has also shown that people prefer text printed in 12-point size or above.

This is why UX design research has shown that people prefer black text on a white background to other colors (like red or blue). UX designers often pair Helvetica Neue Thin with Georgia Italic. This way, you'll get the best of both worlds: legibility and aesthetics. 

For example, if there is one important piece of information on the page, using a large font and bright color helps grab your users' attention. If there are several important pieces of content throughout the UX design, you might want to use different fonts for each section so that they're easier to distinguish from one another.

5. Typography can produce desired responses in readers

Typography can produce desired responses in readers and users, such as feelings, thoughts, and behaviors. UX design is an important aspect of successful UX design. UX designers should be aware of font psychology and its impact on their UX designs. 

Fonts can make or break an otherwise perfect UX design, so it's important to understand the science behind choosing which fonts work best for your user experience and content. 

Final Thoughts

UX design is an important aspect of UX design. UX designers should be aware of font psychology and its impact on their UX designs. Fonts can make or break an otherwise perfect UX design, so it's important to understand the science behind choosing which fonts work best for your user experience and content. This article has discussed 5 UX design insights from font psychology research that will help UX designers improve their UX design.

Resources

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7745618/

https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/article/web-fonts-are-critical-to-the-online-user-experience-don-t-hurt-your-reader-s-eyes

Thanh Pham (Bruce)

CEO, Saigon Technology, Vietnam

Email: [email protected]