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My first website went online in 1995. On that site was a line of text that has always been on my website, and still is.
On the Internet, you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Do you know how long it takes for people to decide whether your site is good or not? 50 milliseconds.
Not one minute. Not 30 seconds.
50 milliseconds.
In a landmark study, Gitte Lindgaard of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada proved that the brain can make flash judgements almost as fast as the eye can absorb information.
Webpages were flashed in front of viewers' eyes, at the rate of 50 milliseconds each. Viewers rated the pages flipping past them.
Later, they were allowed to view the same pages with more time for scrutiny. Amazingly, their judgements after a longer period of viewing matched their 50 millisecond judgements.
Even more interesting, when viewers found typos or errors on sites that they had initially rated as visually appealing and professional, they were more forgiving of those errors.
This behaviour is referred to by psychologists as the "halo effect" and occurs because of cognitive bias. Once you have made a favorable impression, people are more forgiving of your mistakes because they have decided they "like" you.
In the crowded and competitive world of Internet business, if you don't pass the blink test, potential visitors may never know what you have to offer. The back button is right there, right now... and the competition is one click away.
Gives a whole new meaning to "should I design my own site?" doesn't it.
On the Internet, you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Blink.
Time's up.
Did you pass?
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