First impressions run deep, especially when it comes to online experiences. Getting off on the right foot when a new visitor lands on your site is an essential piece to building a successful business. So many company websites miss the opportunity to paint a positive picture of their product or organization by delivering a poor user experience…and in many cases this will be the first (and last) interaction a potential customer has with a company. These quick experiences can form a strong impression of the overall credibility and quality of your products or services and frankly, will determine if someone sees a relationship worth pursuing or not. Achieving love at first sight is not an easy task. In this presentation we address some key principles to help you deliver a user experience that makes the right first impression.

1. Love at First (Web)site
Anatomy of a Good UX First Impression
Greg Harron, UX Strategist

2. The web is full of
bad first impressions.
@gregharron

3. Your business will be (quickly) judged by its cover…
on many levels
@gregharron

4. First impressions can be long-lasting,
unforgiving, and critical to your success…
a snap judgment about the quality of your site
can quickly turn into a strong impression of
the overall quality of your business.
@gregharron
Your business will be (quickly) judged by its cover…
on many levels

5. And let’s face it…people can be anxious.
@gregharron

6. And let’s face it…people can be skeptical.
@gregharron

7. And let’s face it…people can be guarded.
@gregharron

8. And let’s face it…people can be stressed.
@gregharron

9. And let’s face it…people can be GRUMPY.
@gregharron

10. And let’s face it…people can be GRUMPY.
@gregharron
As you can see, we are not exactly setting the mood for love at first sight. People
may be a touch on the ornery side as they meet your site for the first time,
so we have our work cut out for us to make a positive first impression.

11. Our UX Mission: Frown Inversion
:(
:)
@gregharron

12. The Mission Brief
Our Target: “Product Scout(s)” - the person(s) tasked with researching and
recommending a new product or service for their company. The interests of many internal
stakeholders must be considered.
User Mindset:
- Busy, short on time
- Anxious, stressed
- Skeptical, guarded
- Uninspired to sludge through product info & specs
- …Grumpy
Objective: Deliver a user experience that generates a positive first impression and builds
confidence in the value of your offering and your ability to deliver on it.
@gregharron

13. How do we do it?
@gregharron

14. Credibility
Trust
Opportunity
+ Ease of Adoption
User Confidence
And maybe, just maybe, EXCITEMENT
@gregharron
The 1st impression must convey
To establish

15. @gregharron
Okay, but HOW do we establish credibility, trust,
opportunity, etc?
Here are 5 key steps to building user confidence (and
excitement) through a good first impression.

16. 5 keys to a good UX first impression.
Give a proper introduction
1. Be easy on the eyes (in more ways than one
2. Arm your advocates
3. Grease the track
4. Glory by association
5. UX does not stop at UI
Make sure the user can clearly understand what you are all about
within a second or two of hitting your site! Provide immediate
reassurance that the user is in the right place and that they should
definitely stick around to learn more about what you have to offer.
As part of your intro, you may also want to name drop - throw out a
client list or testimonials to provide some confidence that you are
worth getting to know.
1
@gregharron

17. 5 keys to a good UX first impression.
Be easy on the eyes (and brain)
1. Grease the track
2. Glory by association
3. UX does not stop at UI
2
Site must be aesthetically pleasing.
Visual clutter or chaos will lead to
quick exits. A solid design
aesthetic will add instant credibility
to your business.
Literally, ease the user’s mind by
guiding them visually to
thoughtfully manage and focus
their attention on what is most
important. “Ration” out the
information using white space and
layout to promote focus and
retention of key points.
@gregharron

18. 5 keys to a good UX first impression.
Arm your advocates
1. Grease the track
2. Glory by association
3. UX does not stop at UI
3
Do your homework. Acknowledge and address all relevant
stakeholder concerns as clearly and concisely as possible. It
should be easy for a scout to detect coverage of key issues with a
quick scan. Make it easy to share the info with colleagues.
@gregharron

19. 5 keys to a good UX first impression.
Make change attainable & desirable
1. Grease the track
2. Glory by association
3. UX does not stop at UI
4
The experience must convey ease of use and ease of adoption.
Provide clear, obvious, and easy to complete next steps.
Change is hard. Acknowledge and address potential barriers to
entry. Break down these barriers and make change seem desirable
(and easy), not burdensome.
@gregharron

20. 5 keys to a good UX first impression.
UX does not stop at UI5
To be successful, the remainder of the customer experience must
live up to the positive first impression… The “promises” that you
are making and modeling with the site’s UI in terms of ease-of-use
and adoption should carry over into the overall operational execution
and customer experience.
@gregharron

21. Once upon a time (Circa 2009), I was enlisted as a “product scout” researching options for file storage and
sharing to reduce costs for our company. Someone had referred me to look at a new kid on the block,
DropBox.
Well, the site made a great first impression - all of my preconceived notions, stress, anxiety, and general
lack of inspiration around the task were washed away quickly when I visited the DropBox site.
After quickly absorbing the first layer of the site I was actually EXCITED to learn more and get started…and
I was excited to proudly share it with my colleagues. It was refreshingly clear and simple.
Remembering that experience, I went back to visit the DropBox landing page to see if the magic was still
there.
Let’s take a look…
@gregharron
Consider an example: A DropBox First Impression

22. At First Glance: Introduce
yourself and the value you
offer quickly and concisely.
“Am I in the right place?”
Just a few seconds for that
FIRST first impression…
As part of your intro, build some
trust & confidence through client lists,
testimonials
Give a Proper Introduction1

23. Be easy on the eyes
(and the brain)
Get their attention…without
screaming. Use white space to
minimize distraction and ration
out information into easy to
consume bites.
Give key points room to breathe
and your users will breathe a
little easier.
2

24. Arm your advocates
Address key stakeholders’ needs so a “product
scout” can quickly scan to see you have done
your homework and considered the top concerns.
Productivity
Security
Training
IT
Support
ROI
3

25. Note the keywords used:
“relief” = confidence, peace
of mind, help!
“revolutionize”, “better” =
opportunity, improved way
“easier” = ease of use, ease
of adoption
Remove barriers to entry by
providing clear next steps
Make change attainable & desirable
4

26. UX does not
stop at UI
The DropBox user experience
has promised simplicity and
ease of use both in the
messaging (as shown here)
and through the simple
layout and iconography
used to deliver the
message.
To be successful, the rest of
the user experience beyond
the purchase must live up
to the promise of this initial
user interaction.
5

27. Give a proper introduction
Be easy on the eyes (in more ways than one)
Arm your advocates
Make change attainable & desirable
UX does not stop at UI
5 keys to a good UX first impression.
@gregharron
4
3
2
1
5

28. To learn more, check out these other great UX resources from
the Centerline Team:
UX vs UI: What’s the difference? http://bit.ly/1Nqu3IE
How Humans Think - UX and Content Marketing http://bit.ly/1dt0YPN
Why User Experience Matters http://bit.ly/1U1oAg1
…and even more at centerline.net/insights
@gregharron

29. Questions, comments, examples of some
great UX first impressions?
Connect Here: @gregharron
@centerline
centerline.net/insights
thanks.