[Myth] Stock photos improve the users’ experience

Standard

Myth #8: Stock photos improve the users’ experience

Usability tests and eye-tracking studies show that stock photos and other decorative graphic elements rarely add value to a website and more often harm than improve the users’ experience.

Such images aren’t related to the topic of the website and don’t hold useful information. Users usually overlook stock images and might even get frustrated by them.

Researches and articles on the usability of ornamental graphics: