Skimmet – Visual Hierarch
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Overview
Your design looks great in the tool you used to build it.
But does it actually work?
Here's the truth: most users never read your page. They glance. They skim. They decide in 3 seconds if something is worth their attention.
Skimmet tells you what they see and what they miss.
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TWO TESTS. ONE CLICK. NO GUESSING.
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👉 BLUR TEST
Shows what the eye finds before the brain does
Blur your page and suddenly you see it like a skimmer does.
What jumps out? What disappears? If your most important action isn't unmissable when blurred, it's invisible to most users.
❓Ask yourself:
+ What's the first thing your eyes land on?
+ Is the most important action unmissable?
+ Is there one clear focal point or many competing elements?
+ Does the layout lead the eye, or does attention scatter?
👉 GRAYSCALE TEST
Tests if your structure holds without the help of color
Strip the color and you strip the illusion. What's left is your real hierarchy. If things fall apart here, color was doing all the work and color is the first thing people ignore.
❓Ask yourself:
+ Is it clear how attention should flow from one element to the next?
+ Without color, do elements look distinct or merge together?
+ Does the placement of elements make the next step obvious?
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FOR DESIGNERS WHO CARE IF IT ACTUALLY WORKS
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+ Use it before handoff, not after someone else catches it.
+ Run it on your competitor's site and learn in 30 seconds why theirs converts.
+ Add it to your design critique. It asks the questions nobody's asking.
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HOW IT WORKS
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1. Click the Skimmet icon in your Chrome toolbar
2. Apply Blur (Low / Mid / High / Max) or Grayscale
3. See the truth about your design
No sign-up. No data collected. Works on any webpage.
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THIS HAS A NAME IN THE DESIGN WORLD
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It's called the Squint Test.
Designers have used it for years. Most do it manually, squinting at their screen, hoping they catch what's wrong. Skimmet does it for you. In one click.
Want to understand the technique behind it?
📺 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCdhPxFnEt8
Most design tools help you make things look good.
Skimmet helps you make things work.
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