Are you Annoying Visitors Without Realizing It?

Richard Gauder May 6th, 2014

Back in Sept of 2011 usability expert Jakob Nielson wrote an article entitled “How Long Do Users Stay on Web Pages?” (http://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-long-do-users-stay-on-web-pages). He spoke of research that showed your website has only 10 seconds to get visitors to stay. If you can get visitors to stay 30 seconds the rate of visitor loss flattens out. That means you need to communicate your value proposition within 10 seconds, then get them to stay for 20 seconds more.

But what if you are annoying visitors without realizing it? How? Distracting movement on your website. “What?” you ask, “but I love my carousels and cool moving elements …they make our company look modern and innovative.” What if your cool is in fact more like a disco polyester suit that repels people or makes them uncomfortable?

Let me break it to you gently. The fact that business people are busy people means they want to get in, get their info, and get out. They focus. And then what does your website do? Like a small mosquito buzzing around your head, your website moves elements around or the slider switches just as a prospective client was reading it, distracting their focus.

B2B + website movement = irritation. Have you ever had that experience?

Sure we’ll put it in if you insist, as many clients do. But web design needs to make visitors happy. So help us design it better for them. Stop the movement.