F-pattern layout

F-pattern layout uses the shape of the latin character 'F' to position all the content within a page. Thus, the most important elements of the content are placed in the key points of the character. These points are:

• the beginning of the upper line
• the upper line
• the end of the upper line
• the end of the second line
• the second line
• the end of the second line
• the beginnings of all the subsequent lines

Structural elements

Beginning of the upper line
The beginning of the upper line is the place which users see first (provided they represent the Western civilization and read left to right, top to bottom), as they are used to texts beginning exactly in this place. Accordingly, this point should be occupied by the information that must be presented first. Usually it is a company's logotype - it shows the owner of the site, as well as the scope and nature of its services. Besides that, potential clients that are looking for certain services will immediately understand that they have found the kind of website they have been looking for.

Upper line
The upper line is place where a Westerner moves his/her sight without much thinking, as it corresponds to his/her the natural way of reading. Thus the upper line should contain other important information. Exactly what information it should be - that is decided by the developers, and the list of possibilities is quite long: from menus to mottos and slogans. The content of the upper line are defined by the aims and specifications of each website.

End of the upper line
The end of the upper line is the first stopping point for the user. When this place is reached, users can either continue reading, leave the or undertake another action. Usually, in order to stimulate a user to read further, it is enough to show him/her that he/she is exactly where he/she wants to be. Basically, this is the main task of the first line and its beginning. In order to encourage a user to behave in a certain way, an interactive element is usually placed here. If a user must be guided to another part of the website, a navigation bar is used. If any other action is aimed for, a call to action element is used.

Beginning of the second line
Up until this point the functions of the F-layout were the same as the tasks of the Z-layout, but everything changes after the end of the first line. As the first line ends the first cycle of reading, the second line must start a new cycle. Comparing with the upper line, the second one does not need to present a company or its area of activity. Rather than that, it should expand the description of activities or directly offer services and products. The best option is to place the beginning of a phrase (if it is a motto or and advertisements slogan) or an attention-grabbing image

Second line
Here the advertisements phrase is continued, or a product/service is described. It must be noted that on the second line the attention of a user starts dwindling, which makes it viable to make it a little bit shorter.

End of the second line
Depending on the attention span of each user, he/she can either notice or not notice this point. This is why it is recommended to place here an attention-drawing elements - an advertising banner or a 'call to action' element. If the second line is used as a container for a slogan or motto, this elements can be located a little lower - technically this would be the end of the next line.

Beginnings of subsequent lines
This is the place users see first. They will continue reading only if the content of this point is interesting enough. Thus, it is advisable to place images or big-lettered headings saturated with meaning. The further such a place is from the beginning of the letter 'F', the lower are the chances users will notice it. Because of this it is not advisable placing important content here - its place should be higher.