In this series of “Persuasive Design Pattern” I am going to uncover the design patterns that influence human perception using insights from Behavioral Science. This article is the first of many to come.
Contrast Effect happens when two options with the same basic characteristics are shown besides each other, the difference between them is either magnified or diminished.
If you are interested, here is a more academic & technical definition on Wikipedia about Contrast Effect. My objective with creating content here on CoPatterns is to simplify the technical language so that you can easily apply these insights in your business. Back to the topic…
Although Contrast Effect was discovered as part of color theory, marketers intuitively understood it’s power and have been using it since the beginning of marketing.
One of the most powerful design pattern that takes advantage of Contrast Effect is the Left/Right Layout.
The Left/Right Layout design pattern is used to show a contrast between 2 ideas. One on left and one on right.
Questions to ask yourself when brainstorming your own Left/Right Ad Idea
- Do you have a better product or service than your competitor? What specific aspect of your product is better? Show the specific feature & it’s benefit while comparing.
- Does your product or service help your customer with some kind of transformation? What is that transformation? Show in terms of before and after.
- Is your way of looking at your customer’s problems fundamentally different from the way your competitors look at it? Talk about this difference in what you care about v/s what they care about?
- Do you serve a niche or a market that likes to look at itself as different from the mainstream? Highlight these differences between your niche community and the mainstream. Show the differences in values and beliefs.
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