The five second test is a simple usability test that helps you measure the effectiveness of your user interfaces.

I’m a big fan of the “don’t make me think” usability principle, possibly because it’s the only one I truly understand.  But after doing a few tests, you notice that some designs remain vividly in your head, and you can visualise an entire design.  Other designs you can hardly remember, and possibly never knew what they were for.

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Having a community of people review your designs is an obvious benefit for submitting designs, but what do you get out of doing the tests?  For one, you get to see designs that work, and in turn that should be a learning experience.  The stark contrast between good and bad designs during 5 seconds really hits home.  Secondly, you get a warm and fuzzy feeling from helping the community of designers out there.