Originally published February 13 2006
Users decide if they like a website in less than a second, researchers find
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Canadian researchers have found that internet users are able to decide if they like the look of a website in just one-twentieth of a second. The team flashed websites for 50 milliseconds and found participants rated them similarly when given longer.
Internet users can take just one-twentieth of a second to decide whether they like the look of a website, new research has found.
"Visual appeal can be assessed within 50 milliseconds, suggesting that web designers have about 50 milliseconds to make a good impression," the Canadian researchers report in the March/April issue of the journal Behaviour & Information Technology.
Dr Gitte Lindgaard and colleagues from Carleton University in Ottawa confirm that internet users are a fickle lot.
The medium is the message The finding comes as bad news to anyone hoping to convey information, says Sue Burgess, an Australian researcher who evaluates website useability and senior lecturer in information management at the University of Technology Sydney.
The appeal of a website is usually tied to colour, movement and interactivity, she says, with the way the information is structured coming second.
Burgess says it's unclear whether the internet is changing our ability to concentrate for long periods our if we are adapting to the medium.
The halo effect Australian associate professor of psychology Bill von Hippel, from the University of New South Wales, says it takes about 50 milliseconds to read one word, making this a "stunningly remarkable" timeframe in which to process the complex stimuli on a website.
"This may be because we have an affective or emotional system that [works] independently of our cognitive system."
In evolutionary terms, this ability helped us respond rapidly to dangerous situations, he says.
The study also reflects the so-called halo effect, von Hippel says, where an initial bias towards something drives subsequent judgements.
"This suggests that we make very quick judgements based on some sort of emotional reaction and our more considered judgements still reflect that first impression."
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml