First impressions matter.
They don’t die easy.
And they come fast.
Research shows that readers judge the appeal of a page in as little as 50 milliseconds.
The first impression isn’t just about aesthetics either. It’s about the big question: to read or not to read? Because conscious or not, we always run a cost-benefit analysis. We always ask: How much effort will this cost me?
Take a glance at any page to experience it on yourself.
This page for example:
It talks to me.
“Reading me will not be easy,” it says.
Now have a look at this page:
It talks different. It takes me by the hand.
“Come along,” it says. “Trust me. I’ll be easy on you.”
And I wonder:
Isn’t that what all pages should be saying?
P.S. The picture of the book (Franz Kafka’s Ein Landarzt) is by Oliver Reichenstein who originally posted it on Google+ where he showed it next to an e-reader version. I cropped the picture for the purpose of this post.
‘Cover’ photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
2 thoughts on “Your page talks”
As with interpersonal first impressions, the trite old axiom is true: “you never get a second chance to make a first impression”.