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January 31, 2006

Success in a Blink and a Blink Test

ME Liz Strauss wrote this at 5:30 am

In 2005, Malcolm Gladwell’s bestselling book “Blink.” introduced the idea that we make make decisions about people and things almost instantaneously– long before we do the cognitive thinking about them.

Last week, Reuters reported that Canadian researchers have found that people make just such decisions about Internet sites, deciding in less than a blink whether they will stay or click away from them. Here’s a link to the article.

Reuters Screen Shot Article Link

I wonder what Reuters was thinking to write an article so short that you miss the whole thing if you blink?

A Blink Test

Before you blink away, you might try this the next time you bring up your blog or web page. Try to see your blog as if it were one you’d never seen it before.

  • 1. Close your eyes for a minute. Then open them once the page is up.
  • 2. Pay attention to where your eyes fall first. Is that where you want them to?
  • 3. Look at a blank wall or a blank piece of paper for a minute. Then look back again. What attracts or distracts you? Does anything make you want to stay or leave?

Use what you find out to make sure your blog gets a “yes” in that first blink.

THIS JUST IN:
Gary an SOB over at Blogoplex did a test on several blogs including this one . . . Click through to read his blink test results. See whether you agree.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

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12 Comments to “Success in a Blink and a Blink Test”

  1. January 31st, 2006 at 9:58 am
    Gary (Blogoplex) said

    […]At Successful Blog, Liz talks about “Blink Testing” to determing where a visitor’s eyes fall on a web page and if they are seeing anything to make them want to stay.

    I blink tested five blogs[…]

  2. January 31st, 2006 at 8:17 pm
    Martin said

    Hey Liz … I tried blinking here (after a few times my head hurts) :-)

    My eyes landed on the “Ads by Yahoo” advertisements so I clicked them a few hundred times for ya (kidding) :-)

    But seriously, my eyes landed on the “Lead Sponsor” ad … S#Q! - must be the contrast in color and quite possibly subconsciously knowing it’s a naughty word.

    At biz.erati it’s that damn paperclip logo that gets me all the time :-)

  3. January 31st, 2006 at 8:31 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Well, Martin,
    First, have a drink, and try again.
    Seriously, that’s not good is it?
    Hmmmm. I wish I could talk to my sponsor, but I’m not sure that’s going to work.

    Maybe I should teach everyone to read with their eyes closed? :)

    I hate it when I don’t have design control.
    Liz

  4. January 31st, 2006 at 8:53 pm
    Martin said

    Who says I wasn’t already blinking with drink in hand :-)

    I don’t really mind the Lead Sponsor ad - it proves that it works, I guess - it stands out from the clutter. But then again, it comes down to exactly what you want to achieve with the blog - ad click-thrus or continuing readership - have you read a recent post over at Performancing - makes you think about AdSense and our addiction to it at times.

    Hmmm … “read with their eyes closed” - that’s called podcasting. I’d do it, but I’m here to keep my audience not put them off :-)

    No design control! I’d ride on my horse right up to the person(s) who controls the design and say, “howdy pardner, how’se about letting Miz Liz have some control”

  5. January 31st, 2006 at 8:59 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Martin,
    You know my horse is dead. I talked its head off years ago.
    Liz

  6. January 31st, 2006 at 9:08 pm
    Martin said

    Oh, I thought you were going to make a reference to The Godfather eg: the horse’s head scene ;-)

  7. January 31st, 2006 at 9:20 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Good call, Martin,
    Angelo was really good at that particular duty, but I always hated cleaning up after him. . . . and it wasn’t very nice for the horse. So, I made him quit after the first time he tried it. Naughty boy.
    Liz

  8. January 31st, 2006 at 9:39 pm
    Martin said

    Yeah, good of you to make him stop … now lets stop ourselves: wouldn’t want to turn off any readers as we could quite easily go back and forth trying to out-gross each other. :-)

    I’ll now go about my blinking - damn you Liz, now you got me doing this to every blog I visit… just tried it at a professional blogging site and I think my brain went into meltdown :-)

  9. January 31st, 2006 at 9:56 pm
    ME Strauss said

    Martin,
    Where would you be without me, playing tricks with your eyes?
    Liz

  10. February 23rd, 2006 at 11:53 am
    Successful Blog said

    […] Design, curb appeal, packaging–whatever you call it–it’s what brings customer-readers further into our businesses and our blogs. They recognize what works for them and what doesn’t. If it doesn’t, they’re gone so quickly that even our stats programs don’t know. Try the Blink Test if you want a baseline idea of what your readers are seeing before they blink. […]

  11. September 8th, 2006 at 10:47 pm
    Business Blog Hive » Getting Started As A Successful & Outstanding Blogger said

    […] Plan your design. Blink, think “function” and count on one hand for starters. […]

  12. March 15th, 2007 at 8:26 am
    Above the Fold: SmartWealthyRich.com - Liz Strauss at Successful Blog - Thinking, writing, business ideas . . . You’re only a stranger once. said

    […] Jonathan and I discussed how in a blink test, the feed button wins. We decided that it would be a much stronger presentation if the title got that first attention. Folks would remember where they were and where they wanted to return. […]

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