“The Power of the Pause”

This week, we were given a link to a talk by Liz Danzico called “The Power of the Pause”. This blog post will be my thoughts on this.

Why we need pauses/whitespace in design:

• We need pauses to understand: If you are constantly being bombarded with information, it is difficult to retain it.
• It is difficult to process information if there is too much in one place.
• Pauses and whitespace highlights important information.
• The brain likes pauses: It can build suspense and when the user then achieves or understands something, they are more satisfied.
• It can help lead/navigate users from one place to another in an easier way.
• It can make the information present more legible.
• It can set the tone for a website or app. For example, you can use whitespace for branding to come across as elegant and minimalist.

“Whitespace is to be regarded as an active element, not a passive background” – Jan Tschichold

I can learn a lot from this quote and the previous bullet points. I think I need to use more whitespace in my designs and consider it more. I think it will enhance my content and put across the meaning or message more clearly.

 

A tip she gave in the talk is to take a pause for yourself when designing. For example, taking a walk. This breaks you away from your creative space and can reset your mind. This can help you come up with better ideas and when you come back to the work, you can think of better solutions with fresh eyes. I will try to do this more often as I sometimes have creative blocks and I think taking some time away from work to reflect would be beneficial.