Five second test

Optimize the clarity of your design or message by measuring first impressions and recall.

What is a Five Second Test?

Five second testing is a user research method that help you measure a users first impression of your design. It’s commonly used to test a users recall and assess if your design is effectively communicating it’s intended message.

Why is Five Second Testing important?

Five second testing is important because it allows you to easily gather qualitative and quantitative feedback from your audience. By using this feedback you can iterate on your design to ensure that users will quickly understand the message you are trying to convey.

When should I use Five Second Testing?

You should use a Five Second Test when you want to understand if a users' first impressions of your design is on point. It will help you answer questions like:

What is the purpose of the page?
What are the main elements you can recall?
Who do you think the intended audience is?
Did the design/brand appear trustworthy?
What was your impression of the design?

Why Five Seconds?

Humans attention spans are decreasing, so grabbing a users attention in the first few seconds of viewing a design is key. Five seconds is enough time for users to decide to engage or move on.

How it works

Step 1: Choose a tool

You’ll need to sign up for a usability testing tool like Lyssna, which is free.

Step 2: Create your test

Create your test, uploading the image of your design. Include relevant follow up questions.

Step 3: Recruit participants

You can recruit participants from your own audience, or recruit from Lyssna’s panel.

Step 4: Get insights

Once your responses are in you can view the results and use the insights to iterate on your design.

Try five second testing for free now