I once tried to unsubscribe from a newsletter. The link was there, technically, but after clicking it, I was taken to a full page splash that made “Manage Preferences” bright and bold, while the actual “Unsubscribe” button was a tiny gray link buried at the bottom, surrounded by distraction.
I didn’t click it right away. I almost gave up.
And that, of course, was the point.
In product design, button placement isn’t just a layout decision. It’s a reflection of values. What you choose to make visible, and what you choose to bury, quietly communicates what matters to you.
Every screen you design tells a story. Not just through words or icons, but through structure. The size of a button. Its position. Its color. These aren’t neutral choices, they’re signals of intent.
Put something in the top right corner, make it the most colorful thing on the page, and people will click it. Hide it in the footer, style it in gray, and they probably won’t.
That’s the unspoken agreement between product and user: where you lead, people tend to follow. But when that leadership feels manipulative, people notice, even if they can’t quite explain why.
In most Western interfaces, we’ve been trained to expect certain things: primary actions on the bottom right. Cancel buttons on the left. Clear confirmation at the top. These patterns create comfort. They reduce cognitive load. They make people feel like they know what to do.
So when a design breaks that pattern, like making the “Buy Now” button massive and bright, while the “No, thanks” link fades into the background, it’s not just a creative decision. It’s a strategic one.
And often, it’s not in the user’s favor.
You’ve seen them:
These aren’t accidents. They’re nudges, small design tricks meant to steer users toward a preferred action. But when the nudge becomes a shove, it starts to erode trust.
It’s the difference between helping and cornering.
Designers love clever layouts. But clarity beats cleverness every time, especially when users are trying to do something important, like cancel a subscription or change privacy settings.
When people can't find the button they need, frustration builds. That tiny moment of delay, clicking around, wondering if they missed something, adds emotional weight. And it leaves a mark.
Good design helps people do what they want to do, not just what you want them to.
When you bury a cancel button, it tells users you value retention over respect.
When you make it easy to sign up but painful to opt out, it shows you care more about numbers than experience.
But when you design clear exits, when you put “Delete Account” or “Unsubscribe” where someone might reasonably expect to find them, you’re saying: we trust you. We respect your time, your choice, your autonomy.
That’s not just good UX. That’s good business.
Most users won’t analyze your layout. They won’t say, “Ah yes, the primary call to action has more visual weight than the secondary.” But they will feel it.
They’ll notice when something is easy.
They’ll remember when something felt hard on purpose.
And that memory shapes how they see your product, and whether they’ll come back.
Because button placement isn’t just about where people click.
It’s about what you’re saying without saying it.