For many years, I worked within a scientific organization in a communications role. Specifically, I produced organizational and project-based websites to communicate the value of this science to both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
For fellow web and graphic designers who (often rightly) moan that clients don't understand the value of good design, may I offer my client/previous employer as one of the toughest cases! Scientists and researchers are used to "hard data" upon which they can run algorithms and numerical models to produce quantifiable and reproduceable results, which, when published, can be reproduced by any other curious researcher. Being in any way "touchy-feely" in this environment is liable to get you dismissed from any future opportunities to make your point about the value of good design in communications.
So, in the interest of quantifiable studies of the value of good design, I offer a study by Lindgaard G., Fernandes G. J., Dudek C. & Brown, J., "Attention web designers: You have 50 milliseconds to make a good first impression!". It not only outlines the "blink-of-the-eye" speed at which website users "judge" your credibility via the visual design of your website; but, it also talks about the "halo effect" -- this being the effect that (if you are lucky enough that your website visitor even stuck around to click to a second or third page in your site) the visitor judges all subsequent website experiences through the lense of that first impression! If your first impression, visually, was less than professional? Well then, the visitor carries that impression to all subsequent information on your site -- possibly dismissing your credibility!
This study was first reported by the journal Nature in 2006, but reading requires a subscription. Websiteoptimization.com presents a short synopsis of these results. So, as designer/developers, I suggest we arm ourselves with real, quantifiable data for those clients who rightfully ask, "How do you KNOW what you do works?".
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