The Von Restorff effect (also known as the isolation effect) states that visually contrasting items are more likely to be seen and recalled. This is a common occurrence in our daily lives.

Have you ever wondered why, when studying or reading, you highlight important content in a textbook?

This would allow your brain to focus more intently on those exact lines of text, increasing your chances of recalling them.

You may implement this law to focus the user’s attention to certain information or locations while designing your product.

It might also be used to showcase your brand’s color by sprinkling it around the page rather than covering the full screen.

Minor justification

It’s more memorable to be unique. You will stand out from the rest if you are remembered kindly. Make relevant and informative comparisons between items. Enhanced contrast via color, shape, position, and texture. If we understand the significance of the inflection, we are more likely to recall it positively.

Things that stick out in our minds are remembered. CTA (Call-to-Action) buttons stand out and seem distinct from the rest of the action buttons on the same page because of this.

I’ll show you how to apply the Von Restorff effect to improve the overall quality of your design in various ways.

Pages with pricing information

This rule is most typically used to pricing pages, where most of the pricing packages are pretty similar save for the content. Companies would usually use a distinct color, size, or form to draw the user’s attention to their preferred pricing. It’s an effective approach to persuade people to choose a specific pricing choice, such as “regular plan” over “free” or “basic” plans.

Product listing pages

By using color, forms, position, and texture on the product listing page, the Von Restorff effect can be used to create a meaningful contrast between your products.

A black/red label or other items are used by businesses to distinguish their best sellers from other product listings. It’s a great approach to promote their most popular items while also raising conversion rates.

It’s critical to consider strategically when deciding which products to focus on. What is the rationale for this? Is it part of a trend that you’d like to cash in on? Do you consider those products to be more significant than the others you offer?

Display links already used in a different color

Using another color will help those links to stand out, which will help the user to keep track of what they have previously done on your site and avoid wasted time or undesired repetition.

Closing thoughts / key takeaways

The Von Restorff effect has both positive and negative aspects. It may force a user to see/focus on any item or component on your user interface, encouraging them to make a specific option based on the business’s requirements or needs, if applied effectively.

However, if your user interface is mishandled, it may become cluttered with various forms and colors, confusing your users with excessive noise. If there are too many distinguishing aspects, the user will be left with a cluttered screen and cognitive overload, so be careful.