It will take me 0.05 seconds to form an opinion about your site. And 94 out of 100 such decisions are design-based, as revealed in a Northumbria and Sheffield University research. Unquestionably, snap decisions define a good deal of online user behavior.
A website design is never complete. You have to debug and recheck regularly to keep it on target. However, some design mistakes can cause much harm to credibility and business, if not rectified before you launch your website.
User Experience (UX) Design Mistakes
As per KoMarketing usability report, 86% visitors want easy access to information about the products and services on a website. If need to know isn’t met with proper usability, your site’s reputation will suffer.
You must control the amount of information on each web page. They need to be in concise pockets, linked to other content/pages in a context.
Check for link repetition. Remove any broken ones. If there is a search bar, make sure that it produces adequate results. Make your home button readily seen. 36% of visitors try clicking on the website logo to get back.
If your site features microsites or subsites, ensure that the user has a way to get back to you. Don’t leave visitors stranded on an orphan page.
Lack of Clarity
If I click on a link labeled ‘Chicken Food’, do I land on a web page about ‘Food items for Chicken’ or ‘Food items made from Chicken’?
The purpose of an excellent design is to achieve clarity. It means lowering the cognitive load of a user when they’re trying to get through your web page.
Descriptive headings, visual hierarchy, fewer features with evident objectives are elements of a sharp design. However, avoid the following;
Inappropriate category names
Unexpected search results
Similar-sounding links
Barely visible prices or info
Unsorted content
Confusing/misleading navigation setup
Over-Simplicity in Design
If you give a user fifteen minutes to read through your web page content, two-thirds will prefer creative copies over plain information.
Flat designs are minimalist, painless to implement, direct, and easy on the eyes. But, if taken too far, they can lead to boring colors, basic text, handicapped usability, and a generic website.
There’s a fine line between the two outcomes.
The ultimate design goal is clarity. While simplification helps this objective, overdoing it may stifle creativity and reduce the visitor’s inspiration to stay.
Weak/Absent Responsive Design
Of the total time a person spends online, mobile users account for 71% in the USA & China, 61% in the UK, and 91% in Indonesia. 52% of them refuse to engage with companies whose websites exhibit poor optimization for small screens.
Responsive web page design allows flexible viewing, hassle-free, and quick usage.
It offers you easier analytic reports, lower bounce rates, enhanced conversion rates, and some cost-cutting. Also, 80% of mobile phone searches about local businesses convert.
While mobile-friendliness isn’t an official Google ranking factor for websites yet, it has become a crucial element when the search engines consider web pages’ efficiency.
Non-Scannable Text Organisation
HubSpot research reveals that 43% of visitors skim through the content. If it fails to seize their attention, they bounce.
Also, easily scannable content boosts readability by 47%. Needless to say, the visitor must be able to skim through your content, be it for a blog post or a web page.
Avoid long, cluttered paragraphs. Use bullets. Use the white space to your advantage. Use Bold and Italics with moderation.
You need winning section headers. Use subheadings. Aim for a bite-sized chunk of content. Using images and videos in context help by breaking your text. They help a user grab the point quickly.
Don’t Delay the Launch Chasing After the Perfect Website Design
Your site must appropriately emphasize its objective, be user-centric and detailed. If you find your web pages lacking in more than half of the factors I mentioned earlier, halt the launch and think about alterations.
However, there is no point chasing the most flawless look & feel. With times, audience accumulation, and overall purpose, new issues in web designing will always crop up.
Keep an eye on the trends while you try not to make common website mistakes, and you’ll witness decent results in no time.