The product's usefulness and usability may be significantly improved by giving careful consideration to the design of its content performance in online and mobile user interfaces. Our topic for today is all about visual dividers, which are features of layout that serve to arrange material on the screen and clearly separate its many components. Let's have a look at the functionality of visual dividers as well as the wide varieties that are now in use.
Page dividers
A visual divider is a kind of layout feature that serves to organize the various bits of material into distinct groups, sections, alternatives, or components of the whole. Because of this, it is easier for a designer to structure the website in accordance with the common patterns of visual perception, and it also makes the layout simpler and more easily consumable for the consumers.
Dividers, in conjunction with the many other components present on the page, play an important part in the establishment of a robust visual hierarchy. For instance, using them, users are better able to specify the relations between different pieces of material, such as whether or not the various pieces of content are the same, similar, or linked; whether or not one of them is subordinate to the others, etc.
In many instances, dividers provide visual enclosures that seem to be clickable or tappable, which is especially significant for mobile interfaces. Dividers also play a vital role in the overall usability of a website.
Different kinds of page dividers
Lines
Ever since the beginning of time, lines have been one of the most effective ways to divide up the various sections of material, and this holds true for both the print production process and the digital interfaces. They are immediately recognizable in this capacity, which means that consumers won't need to give them a second thought.
On the other hand, this kind seems to be really straightforward and is not even close to being innovative. Therefore, designers often work hard to discover other methods of separating information. In addition, it is strongly suggested that lines be used only in cases when the text cannot be properly split in any other manner. An excessive number of lines may cause the screen to become overloaded with visual noise and produce unneeded visual strain.
White space
The term "white space" refers to the empty space on the screen surrounding the components and, often, inside the elements themselves. However, "empty" does not imply "passive" or "wasted": just like every other component of the screen, it is actively working to promote a pleasant experience for the user. One of the most common uses for visual dividers is negative space, which is particularly common in user interfaces that are designed around the principles of minimalism and simplicity. Negative space can be transformed into a powerful and tasteful visual divider when combined with an understanding of the Gestal principles of visual perception, such as the principles of proximity and similarity. This not only allows the interface to breathe but also keeps it from becoming cluttered.
Contrasting
Color contrast is an additional useful method of visually dividing spaces. The selection of colors and the combinations of those colors in user interface design have a great deal of psychological potential. They have the ability to bolster the message and content of a website while also establishing the proper atmosphere. One of the most vital characteristics that determine how easily a page or screen can be scanned and the hierarchy of its visual elements is contrast.
Color contrast may effectively separate distinct options, products, or interactive zones, which means it can function as a visual divider. This is due to all of the aforementioned factors. Because of this, split screens have become more popular over the last several years. And this may help to explain why it's become common practice to organize landing pages and single-page websites along the content blocks that are shown on backdrops of contrasting colors.