People make judgments about web sites in less than a second. Hmm. It takes that long? 
From Reuters:
“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.”
In the study, researchers discovered that people could rate the visual appeal of sites after seeing them for just one-twentieth of a second. These judgments were not random, the researchers found — sites that were flashed up twice were given similar ratings both times.
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January 20th, 2006 at 12:24 am
It makes perfect sense to me. I have always been a firm believer in the idea that the visual appeal of a website or publication has a profound affect on the reader’s first impression of that publication or website. It’s no different than when you meet someone for the first time. With little exception, most people will have already decided what you think of someone else based on how they look, well before they actually open their mouths and talk. When it comes to blogging, the aesthetics of the blog set the tone for the commentary you are about to read even before you read it.
As for what kind of layout to choose, I believe that blog layout is not unlike decorating a house. Try to go with neutral muted tones, streamlined features and maintain as much continuity as possible whenever possible. In a home you may want all the walls to be “eggshell” and all the carpets to be beige with oak trim around the windows and doors, for example. With a blog, try to make sure all the font styles used accentuate the feel you’re going for with your blog, and that the fonts themselves match each other in context. Match colors so as not to make them clash. And most importantly of all, make sure that your blog looks clean and professional. Always avoid anything that ads clutter or that distracts from the rest of the layout.
As for my blogs, I’ve tried to follow these rules and create a visual environment that my visitors will hopefully enjoy. How well I’ve done is anyone’s guess. One thing I do know is that if you ever become convinced that your layout is perfect as it is, it’s probably not. I am convinced of this. No blog design will ever obtain 100% perfection. However, if you are happy with your layout and it is affectively conveying the message you want it to, than only make small design upgrades from time to time as needed. Frequently overhauling you layout may suggest to re curring readers that you can’t make up your mind about your blog, textual content included.
That all having been said, there is still nothing more important than good, quality writing. It is always better to have an ugly blog with something worth reading posted on it. The most beautiful, well designed blog in the world is useless unless it is worth taking th time to read. A great design should compliment your content. Not try to compensate for a lack of it.
January 21st, 2006 at 10:51 pm
Great comment, John.
You ought to hang out your shingle and make it official. You are a true web site designer.