January 23rd, 2006
Websites Have 50 milliseconds to Impress
By Michael Santo
Contributing Writer, RealTechNews
A study by Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario indicates that users form an opinion about a website within the first 50 ms. Thus, if you’re still reading this, you’ve already decided that RealTechNews is “visually appealing” to you.
There were three studies: one on visual appeal based on viewing for 500 ms, one which also used 500 ms, but rated sites on seven specific design dimensions, and a third which compared appeal based on first viewing the site for 50 ms and then 500 ms. The study found impressions pretty much the same at 50 or 500.
The researchers also believe that these quickly formed first impressions last because of what is known to psychologists as the “halo effect”.
If people believe a website looks good, then this positive quality will spread to other areas, such as the website’s content. Source: BBC News
We Say: Hopefully you find RTN visually appealing and have stuck around past your initial 50 ms. Certainly we try to give you content that you will find interesting and informative. 
Stephen says:
I tend to judge websites by how they deliver the content and the value of the content to me. Make me jump through hoops and I won;t be back, but give me what I’m looking for and make it fairly accessible and I’ll be back. I could not care less about how a site looks unless it the “look” gets in the way of accessing the info I’m there for.
January 24th, 2006 at 8:21 am
yann says:
Sounds like this is just about “judging” the design of a site. This hasn’t much to do with good content. I’m pretty sure something similar can be said about “judging” TV programs, clothes, tools, people we see for the 1st time.
Personally, what I expect from a content site is easy way(s) to find the appropriate data I want, and that it’s easy to read (through) it.
January 24th, 2006 at 9:15 am