Five-Second Test
A five-second test shows one design for a few seconds, hides it, then asks what people remember.
Set up your test
Study title
Your image
Image
PNG, JPG or WebP, or drag it here
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Recall questions3
Participants pick a number from 1 (low) to 5 (high). Results show the spread and the mean.
Up to 5 questions. The recall quiz replaces the list with three starter questions.
Exposure time
Between 3 and 20 seconds. Five is the classic.
Options
Participant journey
Optional. Empty boxes use the wording shown.
Shown first, on the start screen.
Shown under the welcome message, before the first step.
Questions before the study
Up to 3. Asked before the task. Don't ask for names or emails unless you need them; participants are told what's collected.
Questions after the study
Up to 3. Asked after the task.
Shown when the participant has finished.
Optional. Starts with https://. Sent after 5 seconds.
People enter it before seeing the study.
Stored as a hash. Change it later in Share.
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Paste your study key and results (owner) key to view your results.
Frequently asked questions
What's a five-second test?
A five-second test shows a participant one design for a very short time, then hides it and asks what they remember. It measures first impressions: what the page seems to be for, what stood out, and what the visitor would be left with after a glance.
Can people look at the image again?
No. The image is shown full-width for the exposure time with a visible countdown, then it is removed from the page and the questions appear. There is no back button inside the test, and a refresh does not give a second look.
How long should the exposure be?
Five seconds is the classic and the default. Use 3 for a very simple message such as a banner or headline, up to 10 for a dense page. You can choose any whole number from 3 to 10.
What questions should I ask?
Recall questions, not opinions. Good ones: "What was this page for?", "What do you remember?", "Who do you think it is for?". You can ask up to five, as open text, single or multiple choice, or a 1 to 5 rating. Avoid questions that need the image in front of the participant.
How are the most-mentioned words worked out?
Answers are lowercased, common filler words are removed, and each word is counted once per answer so one long reply cannot dominate. It is a quick pattern-finder; read the full answers underneath before you draw conclusions.
What are the limits?
The image is preloaded before the countdown starts, and the exposure is timed in the browser, so treat it as accurate to a fraction of a second. There is no participant panel here, so you recruit your own, and a small sample is indicative only.