You have 0.05 Seconds to Make Your Website Stand Out
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008A study found that users had created their first impression of a website within 1⁄20th of a second. This means that a visitor’s initial reaction is purely physiological - it does not occur at a cognitive level. How can you ensure your website gets a positive response?
Photo by fdecomite
The Halo Effect
This rapid reaction to a website is multiplied by a phenomenon dubbed “The Halo Effect”, which is a psychological effect described by Answers.com as:
“An effect whereby the perception of positive qualities in one thing or part gives rise to the perception of similar qualities in related things or in the whole.”
So the initial response to your website that your visitor experiences is incredibly important. The first impression that your visitor has is so powerful, it affects their mindset, causing them to see your website offering in either a positive or a negative way.
How to Create a Positive First Impression
All you have to work with is a small digital canvas, which is the user’s interface. This may be a tiny cellphone screen, or small 14 inch monitor or perhaps a large 24 inch LCD (it might also be a screen reader, but that is another topic). Whatever the dimensions of the user’s device, you have a limited 2 dimensional window in which to sell your website. As a result every pixel matters.
So how do you use this limited space effectively? You need a website design that is appealing to your target market audience.
Firstly, you need to be certain who your target market is. If you know who they are, then you need to know what they like. The easiest way to find this out is to study websites that you know to be popular with your market. Make a careful note of the colours, tones, shapes and style of the design.
Knowing the type of website design that is popular with your target market, you can now develop your own website design. Ideally, you want a design that is utterly unique, but contains the styles that appeal to your market.
Unfortunately, while creating a simple website is straightforward, creating a powerful design and user experience can only be done with extensive design knowledge and experience. Some examples of what a good web designer will consider:
Find out why website design is probably harder than you think: what makes web design complicated.
Conclusion
Of course the other big influence on people’s first reaction to your website occurs before they have even seen the design. The speed at which your website loads is often cited by users as a very important factor in a favourable impression - although some research suggests that perhaps usability is more important than raw access speed.
While speed and usability should not be overlooked, the creation of a website with a powerful, appealing design for your target market is vitally important to stand out from the crowd of other websites. If you have the necessary skills, take your time and make every corner of your canvas count; if you do not have the time or the relevant experience, hire a good web designer.
