First Impressions

By
Angie Herrera

I recently came across an [interesting article](http://websiteoptimization.com/speed/tweak/blink/) on a research study by [Dr. Gitte Lindgaard](http://http-server.carleton.ca/~glindgaa/) of how a website's design can ultimately affect credibility and buying decisions. The article is a couple of years old but the results are still relevant. In summary: > Web designers have as little as 50 milliseconds to capture the interest of potential customers. Through the halo effect, first impressions can influence subsequent judgments of website credibility and buying decisions. This isn't groundbreaking news. Designers and (most) marketers have known this for a very long time. But to see it in an actual published study only strengthens the point. Some people will tell you that there's no need to pay a designer to design your website; that it's just a waste of money and as long as it works it'll do its job. But that's completely misleading, especially when you consider the findings of the Lindgaard study. She specifically suggests that "aesthetics, or visual appeal, factors may be detected first and these could influence how users judge subsequent experience." What isn't discussed in this article regarding the study (though some commenters point it out), is that it doesn't stop at the design. The design is the first thing a visitor will see. What comes with it, in it, and around it, however, have to hold up to. This means your content needs to be just as compelling and the site better be user-friendly and intuitive. If you content and usability is suffering, the greatest designer in the world can't help you. The truth to take away from this, however, *isn't* that your website needs to be super-slick in order to see results. Rather, your site needs to be **well-designed** to get a visitor's attention and to convey your message i a credible fashion. If it's not, a user's extremely quick judgment will have them clicking away faster than you can say wait. In other words, first impressions are everything.