Have you been wowed lately? More to thepoint: when was the last time you wowedyour clients? No, WOW is not a new techacronym. It’s the good old–fashioned processof impressing someone and eliciting anenthusiastic response.
The “wow factor” has been a staple of themarketing industry for years, usually pairedwith the adage that “you never a get a secondchance to make a first impression.” It mayseem old hat, but study after study confirmsthat people form first impressions in only afew seconds or less – some indicating thatvisual impressions are made within a fractionof a second. In a culture driven by instantaccess and visual overload, every businessneeds to ask if its print and web graphics havewhat it takes to attract and hold attentionfrom the get–go.
Strong design is essential. It may take afew minutes to mentally assimilate all thevisual elements, but that first–glance aestheticopinion is the key to keeping customers’eyes roving your webpage, brochure or salessheet until their conscious mind catches upto the retinal “hit”. This concept is far fromnew, and is used daily by graphic designers.Yet bioengineers and neuroscientists arespending a good deal of time on scientificstudies of how the human brain respondsto visual stimuli and forms an opinion aboutit. Their studies confirm what marketersand art directors have known all along: firstimpressions are not easily reversed. It takesa lot more to un–do a negative reaction thanreinforce a positive one from the outset.Instantaneous first impressions can bemisleading, of course, but for better or worsethey color all of our perceptions that follow.Once a positive or negative association ismade, it’s indelibly linked to the experience.We can override it intellectually but theinitial “spark” is already set. Moreover, it isset visually. Numerous studies have shownthat visual information plays a huge role inhow we perceive people, places, events, andeven concepts. Before we’re aware of it, ourbrain is processing visual cues that shape ourconscious perceptions. What this means foryour website, graphic design, and even yourprofessional image is that visual appeal has ahuge impact on how you are perceived.Obviously there’s more to truly “wowing”your audience than first impressions. Noveltymay get your foot in the door, but it wears offrather quickly. The “wow factor” has deeperimplications, especially for web designand content. According to a joint study byscientists at the University of California Irvineand Universtiy of Southern California, theelement of surprise or novelty affects ourinterest level.
In her article in New Scientist magazine,“Model of Surprise Has ‘Wow’ Factor BuiltIn,” Linda Geddes writes that the scientistsconducting the study have pointed out thattheir findings could have “wide–rangingapplications. For example, it could be used torank Web sites for interest, as those providingmore original content would stand out, whilespammers, copycats and aggregator sitesmay be classified as boring.”
Again, this confirms what web designersand others already know: original contentand outstanding presentation work togetherto make a website engaging and useful.Many Web sites have good colors, boldimages, and eye–catching design, but usabilityis a huge factor for Web users: getting theirattention counts, but keeping them thereis what makes a Web site lucrative. In theindustry, a good site may be described as“sticky,” meaning it makes people “stick”around, come back, mark it as a favorite(bookmarking) or even better: share it withother people. Whether or not you sell anythingonline, if you’ve invested in a Web site thengetting a financial return requires that peoplesee it, use it, refer to it, talk about it and returnto it. From a marketing perspective, there’snothing better than the seduction of a goodcampaign. From a consumer perspective,particularly online, there’s nothing better thanan eye–catching, easy to navigate Web site thatgives you the information or product you needin an enjoyable, aesthetically pleasing, hasslefreetransaction.
Ideally, you want a Web site that grabs theuser’s attention and piques their curiosity – ifyou can leave them awestruck, so much thebetter. At that point human nature takes overand your customers will want to investigatefurther, discovering what else the Web sitehas in store. Whether you’re trying to attractfocused customers or appeal to randomcuriosity seekers, the goal is to give viewersa subconscious “rush” they’ll want to sustainby exploring the Web site. Unfortunatelythere’s no magic formula, since everybodyresponds according to individual experience,associations, attitudes, etc. Yet a little bit ofresearch combined with your own knowledgeof your field will indicate what’s expected orunexpected, and good taste will determinehow far afield your Web site design can go tograb attention.
What you can count on is that if yourcontent is boring, uninformative, difficultto navigate, slow to load, filled with errormessages and broken links, cluttered withconfusing advertisements and other visual orfunctional annoyances, Web users will quicklynavigate away from your Web site to anotherone – probably one of your competitors. Cleartypography, relevant and tasteful headers,appealing color combinations, good imagequality and overall coherence (aestheticas well as functional) are all ways to makesure that a positive first impression carriesthrough to the final sale and, ideally, returnWeb site visits.
The bottom line is that advertising andmarketing materials, whether print oronline, require conscientious planning,targeted placement, and good design.While estimates range from 1/20th of asecond to the classic “7 second rule”, firstimpressions are hard to shake. A goodone will get you to the pitch, and a lasting“wow” will get you the sell. In order to getthe most out of your Web site investment,make sure you hire a designer thatunderstands the full impact of the “WowFactor” and how to work it into every levelof your Web site, from that instantaneousfirst impression to a loyal customer whoreturns again and again.
