The 5 second test is a quick and simple way to gather first impressions about an initial design or concept.

In a 5 second test, participants are shown an image of a design for just 5 seconds. After the image is taken away, they are asked to recall what they saw and answer some questions about their initial thoughts and feelings. This helps us understand what stands out to people at first glance and what their gut reactions are to the design, web page or content they’ve just seen. This method is usually used early in the design process to test sketches, wireframes or concepts before too much time is invested.

Why we think it’s useful:

• Provide insights into whether key elements and messaging are coming across clearly and quickly

• Give quick feedback to help guide design decisions and iterations

• Useful for comparing different design options to see which is the clearest

You’ll get some indicative data by doing a 5 second test with as few as 5-6 people but for best results, try 20-30 for more reliability.

While 5 second tests are helpful for gauging first impressions, it's important to remember they don't tell you anything about the usability or overall user experience of a design. Longer usability testing will be needed to assess those aspects. But as a quick gut check, 5 second tests are a valuable tool to have in your user research toolbox.