process
5-second test
Show a design for five seconds, take it away, ask what it was for – isolates first impressions and tests whether the hierarchy landed.
People form lasting first impressions within seconds; a five-second exposure captures that judgement before considered second-guessing kicks in. Attributed to UX researcher Christine Perfetti (with colleagues at User Interface Engineering, mid-2000s).
It tests something narrow and real: does the primary message land, is it obvious what the page is for, did the visual hierarchy direct attention where intended. It cannot test flows – five seconds structurally can’t hold a multi-step task. Runnable today with zero budget: share a screen for five seconds, then ask “what do you think this page is for?”