Are websites judged in the blink of an eye?

NEW THINKING: People can get a strong impression of your website within one twentieth of a second, according to a new study. But it may not be a lasting impression.

First impressions matter a great deal, according to a study by Carleton University, Canada. "The importance of being pretty" was the heading used by Wired Magazine, in reporting on the study.

It has long being known that looks matter. Studies have shown that more attractive looking people, as well as taller people, on average earn more. The Carleton study asked students to rate the visual appeal of a range of websites on a scale from "Very Unattractive" to "Very Attractive". The decisions made in the first one twentieth of a second held up over longer periods of examination.

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