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UX/UI Design vocabulary · UI Elements and Patterns

Call to action

Meaning in UX/UI design, with examples

nounCore term

In UX/UI design, call to action means: A button, link or short message that asks users to take the next step, such as 'Sign up', 'Add to cart' or 'Start free trial'.

In Turkish: eylem çağrısı, harekete geçirici mesaj, CTA

How it is used

Almost always shortened to CTA, said letter by letter. Designers and marketers talk about the primary CTA, CTA placement and CTA copy. A screen usually works best with one clear main call to action.

Example sentences

  1. Four buttons are competing for attention; this page needs one clear call to action.

  2. Changing the call to action from 'Submit' to 'Get my quote' increased clicks.

Common collocations

  • primary call to action
  • clear call to action
  • CTA button
  • CTA copy
  • buttonA clickable or tappable element that lets users perform an action, such as submitting a form, saving changes or opening a menu.
  • A/B testingA method that shows two versions of a page or feature to different groups of real users at the same time and measures which version performs better.
  • visual hierarchyThe use of size, colour, contrast, spacing and position on a screen so that people notice the most important elements first and read the rest in a clear order.
  • microcopyThe short pieces of text in an interface, such as button labels, hints, error messages and confirmations, that guide users through a task.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: UI Elements and Patterns

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