{"id":2048,"slug":"lindgaard-2006-50ms-first-impression","title":"Lindgaard et al. 2006 — first impressions form in ~50ms, are visually driven","kind":"reference","scope":"business","status":"current","audiences":["kevin","candid-team"],"topics":["website-credibility-and-speed"],"reference_body":"**Claim:** Lindgaard et al. (2006), peer-reviewed (*Behaviour & Information Technology*), established the **50ms visual-appeal judgment**. Replicated across multiple academic reviews (NIH/PMC). Robins & Holmes (*Information Processing & Management*, 2008): \"when the same content is presented using different levels of aesthetic treatment, the content with a higher aesthetic treatment was judged as having higher credibility.\"\n\n**Source:** Lindgaard et al. 2006, Behaviour & Information Technology. Peer-reviewed.\n\n**Confidence:** Verified.\n\n**Why this matters for Candid:** A modern, credible-looking site changes what happens to the traffic the business ALREADY gets. This is the Tier 1 conversion-multiplier mechanism, not a ranking-lever mechanism.","rationale_body":null,"metadata":null,"links":{"outgoing":[],"incoming":[{"slug":"research-brief-smb-widget-difficulty-to-work-june-2026","title":"Research brief: SMB widget difficulty-to-work mapping — three tiers of work for three sizes of gap (June 2026)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"relates-to"},{"slug":"tier-1-foundational-web-presence","title":"Tier 1 — Foundational web presence (SMALL GAP)","kind":"reference","scope":"business","link_type":"depends-on"}]},"created_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.667Z","updated_at":"2026-06-23T19:16:02.667Z"}