Asthetics Count ~ Lisa Sabin-Wilson

The Behavior and Information Technology journal recently published something we already knew about: Asthetics in web design really does matter, even to the average internet surfer:

…

Internet users can give Web sites a thumbs up or thumbs down in less than the blink of an eye, according to a study by Canadian researchers.

In just a brief one-twentieth of a second — less than half the time it takes to blink — people make aesthetic judgments that influence the rest of their experience with an Internet site.

The study was published in the latest issue of the Behavior and Information Technology journal. The author said the findings had powerful implications for the field of Web site design.

“It really is just a physiological response,” Gitte Lindgaard told Reuters on Tuesday. “So Web designers have to make sure they’re not offending users visually.

“If the first impression is negative, you’ll probably drive people off.”

[SOURCE]

In this day and age, it’s just not enough to put up a website and fill it with some content. Aesthetics in design do matter to the visitors to your site. People could be driven off your site within seconds if the design and layout isn’t appealing - before they even get a look at your great products and/or writing! That’s a tragedy!

Tags: Web Design, Website Design, Blog Design, Web Site Design