A User Experience and Interface Designer
Blink Testing
Users will form an opinion on your site within seconds of visiting. Blink Testing tells you what information and visual elements resonate with your customers within those first few seconds. A test participant is shown a page for five seconds. Once the page is hidden from view, participants provide their initial impression and what they recall.
This versatile test can be administered as part of a Lab Test, automated via an online tool and administered remotely, or it can be used as a Guerrilla Usability Test at a conference or other public space.
SCHEDULE TIME & GATHER MATERIALS
Schedule Time
Per Session: 2-6 Minutes
Complete as many sessions as possible in about an hour for usable results.
Gather Materials
A screenshot or printout
Paper
Pens or pencils
An audio recorder for verbal answers
CARRY OUT THIS METHOD
STEP ONE
Determine how you want to administer the test.
Manually. A test facilitator shows participants a printout or screenshot for five seconds, and then hides or closes it.
Automatically. UsabilityHub’s tool at www.fivesecondtest.com can be configured to collect results for you.
STEP TWO
Determine what kinds of results you need and how users should provide their responses.
Free Listing Technique. Provide two pens (one for backup) and paper, and have customers write everything they remember, one item per line. Give them all the time they need.
Draw Back Technique. Give participants paper and black-and-white drawing implements to draw what they remember. Tell participants not to be too detailed or use any color lest they draw too slowly and forget what they saw. Do not limit their time, however.
Open-Ended Questions. Ask your customers questions, like: “What does this site convey?” “What is the purpose of this page?” “What can you do here?” Use an audio recording device to gather spoken answers.
STEP THREE
Collect all responses, and analyze the results to look for patterns.
TIPS AND RESOURCES
Try these tips
Because this test can be administered quickly, you can combine all 3 techniques described in Step 2.
A lab test can begin with a sequence of a Blink Test, then a Visual Affordance Test, then an Expectation Test. From there, continue with a scenario-based Think-Aloud Test.
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