Psychology in Web Design
People form first impressions very quickly. Psychologists at Princeton in the USA suggest that first impressions about people are formed in one tenth (0.1) of a second.
The first impression of a website is formed even quicker than this, according to three studies conducted by the Human-Oriented Technology Lab at Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada, which suggested that users judge the visual appeal of a website in five hundredths (0.05) of a second.
There’s been time for 0 first impressions of websites since you loaded this page
The basic psychological principles of a website can have a significant impact on the first impression users form.
The initial decisions made when visiting a website are based on emotion and the subconscious. Users will make a judgement about your website before they read a word of text.
- Is this a safe website?
- What emotional effect do the colours have?
- Does the website feel like it’s the right place?
- Are the choices available clear and appropriate?
All of these judgements are affected by the way in which you present your website.
Studies, like the Stanford-Makovsy Web Credibility Study, have consistently found that, when deciding whether a website is trustworthy or not, visitors are influenced by the quality of its design.
Elements such as layout, consistency, typography, colour and style all affect how users perceive your website and what kind of image you project. Other factors that influence credibility are: the quality of the website’s content, amount of errors, rate of updates, ease of use and trustworthiness of authors.
Click the screenshot of the safest looking website out of these two:
