7 Web Design Mistakes You Must Avoid

When a web design is carried out to perfection, nobody seems to notice. However, when the nagging errors of a bad design pop up, they stand out. A good user interface (UI) design works seamlessly in the background, but a bad UI design will complicate otherwise simple processes on a website. Some common signals of bad web design include unclickable buttons, unclickable website links, and haphazard drop-down menus.

In a busy world, nobody has the time to haggle with frustrating and time-consuming errors made by a careless web designer. Viewers who must juggle with these nuisances will leave the shoddy website, never to return. As a web designer, it is your prerogative to ensure every website that you create runs smoothly from start to finish. Here are seven common web design mistakes that every web designer must avoid:

Mistake No. 1: Unwanted distractions

When a visitor visits a website, they would like to read the information that will keep them immersed. Content must be free-flowing and easy to read from start to finish. Unnecessary links are a distraction that takes the visitor to a different page of the website. Similarly, PDFs can be distracting when placed in the middle of a paragraph. The visitor will either decide that it’s too bothersome to open a new tab to read the PDF, or the visitor will open the PDF and forget about your website.

Ensure links are placed at strategic points so that the reader does not have to leave a page mid-sentence or mid-paragraph.

Mistake No. 2: A “mobile-friendless” design

Mobile devices have outnumbered laptops and PCs. Today, when someone wants information from the internet, they pull out their mobile device and do a quick search for the information they require. If a website is not mobile-friendly, visitors will have a tough time reading content that was designed for a larger screen. The fonts will be too big or too small, the UI will look awry, and clickable links and tabs will be hard to click.

Ensure that the website is created for multiple audiences – those who would prefer viewing web content on a PC or a laptop, as well as those who would prefer to access web content via their mobile devices.

Mistake No. 3: Long pages

So, you have enough content to run endlessly on a single page. The problem with this kind of page is that there is a high chance of losing your viewers. The average attention span of a human is less than eight seconds, so every bit of space on a web page must be used wisely. This does not mean that you fill it up with content. Instead, you put the most important content right at the top so that visitors don’t have to scroll the page forever to find the information they want.

Use tabs to add more information and clickable links that will take them to another page if they want a different type of information. Remember to keep no more than a couple of related ideas or topics on a page – the rest can go on another page.

Mistake No. 4: Flashing text and unnecessary animations

There was a time when flashing text, moving objects, pop-up animations, and animated text were a rage. Today, they do nothing but enrage website visitors. Keep fonts simple, choose font colors wisely, and ensure they don’t change shape or size just to get the visitor’s attention. Stay away from the temptation to make text flash, flicker, or blink. These are all annoyances and distractions that your visitor can do without.

Ensure you use smooth transitions in animated gifs, plugins, and applets.  Ensure you balance out the use of content that depends on animations with content that does not depend on the animations. Make sure that animations run for a very short time and then stop. In other words, don’t make them repeat endlessly. It will also be a good idea to let your users know that a particular bit of information flashes before it starts flashing.

Mistake No. 5: Outdated content/information

We all depend on the internet for the latest information. When you provide outdated information on a website, for example, an e-commerce website, the harmful effects can range from mild to severe. In the case of an e-commerce website, you may forget to mention that certain products are available. At most, those products will not be sold since they don’t show up on the website. But let’s say you forget to take down products that are not sold anymore. There is a chance that visitors purchase the product online, and wait expectantly for the product to be delivered to them.

Ensure content is updated regularly.

Mistake No. 6: Visited links remain unchanged

This may seem a negligible mistake, but it is a very annoying one. When a visitor clicks a link, the link is meant to turn a different color. The change in color helps visitors keep track of the links they have visited before. They know they have visited the link and can ignore it now. Conversely, the change in color could also be an indicator and a reminder to a visitor that they would like to revisit that page.

For more clarity, ensure that all visited links change color.

Mistake No.7: Forgetting about the website user

You can get so wrapped up in ensuring you get all your information out there that you forget about the person you are making the website for- your website visitor. A website is created for a target audience.

A website must be fast, easy to load and ensure it provides relevant information – be it about your services, products, or just general information. Navigation should be simple and easy. Avoid clutter, and ensure you use the right amount of white space. Without white space, the content will be hard to read and therefore hard to comprehend.

Avoid these seven web design mistakes, and you will ensure your visitors have a smooth experience on your website. A well-executed design will also ensure your visitors stay longer on your website.

This article written by DMObjects

DMObjects Web and App Design  is a full-service web design company based in Langley, British Columbia, Canada founded by Anthony Schroth, a passionate application developer with years of experience. The company specializes in website design and application development solutions for small or startup businesses throughout Canada. Clients can take advantage of its affordable and competitive service prices , and will also get a year’s free subscription to web hosting powered by SiteGround. One of the many innovative solutions developed by DMObjects can be found on this CSharpCorner’s article , where it explains a detailed implementation of Google ReCaptcha 3 Helper in ASP.Net MVC.