White Space is not Wasted Space
White space, also known as negative space, is the space between paragraphs, titles, images, and other website content. There are many different views on how to use and optimize website space. There are some people who believe that websites should have as much information as possible for the visitors and customers to see. These people cram every last inch of page space with images and text. But in our opinion, this should be avoided for better website usability. White space is essential for web design.
White Space is Not Wasted
Putting information on every inch of your site is a bad idea because it makes your website extremely difficult to read. It creates a stressful experience for visitors of your website, causing them to leave. Websites need to be simple and light for visitors and customers to be able to absorb the information on the page.
There have been studies that show larger white space in the margins increases reader comprehension up to 20%. It decreases the amount of text the visitor sees, making it less overwhelming to read. Without clutter, the website is easier on the eyes. Negative space, like minimalism, also makes websites look sleeker and more elegant, which is visually pleasing.
White Space as a Guide
White space can be used as a guide for visitors of your website. Web designers can achieve this by grouping certain things together, and drawing visitors to links or products. White space also can highlight the most important parts of your website. If everything on a website was arranged closely together, people wouldn’t know what to click or read. Since most online readers scan, it’s important to draw them in to what is most important. This improves the overall usability of the website.
Conclusion
White space is not a problem, but a solution to most design challenges. It actually helps websites by making them easier to navigate and look at. Also it makes websites look up-to-date and professional, hence, more trustworthy as well.