01.16.06
Web Attention Deficit Disorder
Users on the web have VERY short attention spans… This is not a knew idea, but recently Seth points to a study that claims we don’t get the 3 seconds we once thought that we did; we get 50 milliseconds 
While this number may sound unbelievable, one should recall the last time they used a search engine to find what they wanted. Presented with sometimes millions of results for your search, you set to work finding the best site. This is usually performed quite fast… I know that when I am sifting through the top results I am usually making snap judgments on the site’s quality, presentation, and focus. If it doesn’t look like it scores highly on those three things, in an instant, I am clicking the back button.
This is why it is paramount to present a well designed site; one that is well laid out and provides a natural eye path for the user to read down the page quickly and find what he is looking for. Equally important to your sites success, is knowing WHY a user is on the page he is on Users land on your site for different reasons (I know this is obvious). As a site designer it is important to architect the site in such a way that you serve the needs of those different users. Some want information on the product, some are researching for later purchase, and others are just looking for the quickest (and safest) way to buy. Each one of these people wants to see something slightly different, and if you don’t show it to them QUICKLY the potential customer may be lost forever…
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Carnuba said,
January 17, 2006 at 6:33 pm
50ms is astonishingly fast… at most you can just get a fleeting impression of color and layout in that time, and maybe an afterimage of a word or two. It is certainly not enough time to make a conscious decision about anything - that takes a half second or more.
It would be nice if we could read the actual study to validate the methodology…
Jarod Thoms said,
January 17, 2006 at 6:38 pm
It might take a half second for a decision to wander its way into your conscious mind, but there are lots of studies that demonstrate that you take in a great deal of information in a single glance, you just might not remember it all.
- Jarod
Carla said,
January 27, 2006 at 6:17 pm
Does the study actually give any suggestions as to how take advantage of this, other than ‘follow good design principles’ and all the standard sort of advice? I can’t imagine that things like eye-paths and text flow could have that much to do with this quick of an impression, more color and general layout…
I guess we need more studies…
Good find Jason…