{"id":2118,"date":"2022-11-04T19:23:48","date_gmt":"2022-11-04T19:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hmgcreative.com\/2022\/11\/04\/how-to-overcome-tunnel-vision-in-email-design\/"},"modified":"2022-11-04T19:23:48","modified_gmt":"2022-11-04T19:23:48","slug":"how-to-overcome-tunnel-vision-in-email-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hmgcreative.com\/how-to-overcome-tunnel-vision-in-email-design\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Overcome Tunnel Vision in Email Design"},"content":{"rendered":"

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How long do you have to snag your reader\u2019s attention before you lose them? Say it with me: ten seconds or less.<\/em> We\u2019ve had this drilled into our heads, and great designers know what keeps people reading and what doesn\u2019t. But what hasn\u2019t been learned nearly so well is that your customer\u2019s online attention is not only short, but also very narrow.<\/p>\n

Usability guru, Jack Nielson, explains in a recent Alertbox Column<\/a> that most users focus only on what interests them or what they expect will give them the answers that they need while ignoring the other content. Known as \u201cTunnel Vision,\u201d this phenomenon can make the difference between click-throughs and deleted messages.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s consider an example. You design a newsletter advertising your website\u2019s 20 percent off sale. You include a headline, an image, a block of text that includes a coupon code, and a call to action that says \u201cShop Now.\u201d Nielson\u2019s usability research suggests that if you haven\u2019t stated the coupon code in the headline or included it as part of the call to action, many subscribers won\u2019t see it. It\u2019s a phenomenon similar to banner blindness, where readers ignore portions of the screen that they think aren\u2019t essential to the overall message. If the coupon code is necessary in order to receive the savings, you\u2019ll need to follow a few design tips in order to keep it within your subscribers\u2019 field of vision.<\/p>\n