Analyze the way your site’s design impacts the impressions users form about you.
Method 1: Five Second Test
Usability Hub’s Five Second Test lets you show your design to participants for 5 seconds. After presenting your site design, you can ask participants for their first impressions, or ask them to list anything they remember about your site.
This study can be paired with a Desirability Study, where users select adjectives that best describe their gut reaction to the site’s look and feel. Before running the test, get together with your team to review a list of adjectives and pick around ten that you’d consider positive descriptions for your website. You can also use our sample list of adjectives as a starting point.
Once your list is ready, gather 6–8 participants and ask them to describe the page using the worksheet.
Instructions for participants:
- Step 1: Read through the list of words and underline any that describe your experience with the website design. You can choose as many words as you wish.
- Step 2: From the words you underlined, circle five that you feel are most descriptive of the website.
Method 2: First Click Test
First-click tests help determine whether visitors can quickly find what they’re looking for on your site. They’re especially useful for websites, where users often come with specific goals like finding admission requirements, academic programs, or contact information.
To conduct this study:
- Give participants a specific task (for example: Find where you can apply for financial aid).
- Once they click on the area of the page where they believe that information is located the task is complete.