Quickly draws user attention to key information or actions.
If misused, users may ignore critical but less prominent information.
The Salience Effect was explored by psychologists like Shelley Taylor and Susan Fiske in the 1970s and 1980s. In one foundational study, they examined how people attribute cause based on what visually stands out in a situation. Participants watched a conversation between two individuals filmed from different camera angles—focusing on one speaker, the other, or both. The researchers sought to understand how attention influenced perceived importance and responsibility.
Participants judged the person most visible in the camera frame as more influential in the conversation. This revealed that visual salience biases people's attribution of causality and importance—highlighting how attention is drawn to what stands out, often regardless of actual relevance.
1.
Make key actions and messages visually dominant to guide user attention.
2.
Avoid overloading interfaces with too many high-salience elements.
3.
Use salience intentionally to draw focus to errors, pricing, or next steps.
