People are guilty of making snap judgements on a daily basis. It takes only 1/10th of a second to form a first impression about a person, and judging design is no different.
It takes around 0.05 seconds for users of any type of design platform – whether a website, a poster or a business card – to form an opinion of that medium, and whether or not they like it.
When it comes to design, first impressions may depend on a number of factors, such as:
- Structure
- Colour
- Symmetry
- Spacing
- Type
- Font
As specialists of web design in London, we thought it interesting to do a little research regarding users’ views in relation to the website industry, and how design really can affect that ultimately important first impression between brand and user.
In 2012, Google conducted research that confirmed that users form design opinions in 50 milliseconds, and some in as little as 17 milliseconds. The majority of these findings highlighted that websites with low visual complexity and high photo typicality were better received by users than those of ‘busy’ or over-designed aesthetics.
Tip: Keep web design simple, clean and familiar.
It takes 2.6 seconds for a user’s eye to land on the area of the website that most influences their first impression. Many people are drawn to specific sections of a page, such as the menu, logo, social media icons and images – before they move on to another section, so obviously, the better the first impression, the longer a user will stay on a page.
In a recent study, users were encouraged to explore a given website in order to collate which sections drew the most interest from design-focused users. The results were as follows:
- The logo. Users spent about 6.48 seconds focused on this area before moving on.
- The main navigation menu. Users spent an average of 6.44 seconds viewing the menu.
- The search bar. Users focused on this for just over 6 seconds.
- The site’s main image. This was where users’ eyes fixated for an average of 5.94 seconds.
- The site’s written content. Users spent about 5.59 seconds reading site content.
- The bottom of the website. Users spent about 5.25 looking at the bottom section of a site.
Tip: A good first impression leads to longer website visits, so when designing your site – make sure all 6 of the above elements are well-designed, user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Here at Liquid Bubble, we are passionate about good design, and offer a range of quality and creative services to enhance your brand and online presence. Our team of qualified and helpful professionals are always happy to answer any questions you may have, so for more information, or to speak to one of our friendly team – please do not hesitate to contact us on 0208 900 1191 today!
