Introduction
Did you know that 75% of your website’s reputation is due to its design? Visitors may consider your firm as less reliable if there are numerous website design flaws. Whether you’re creating a new website or refreshing an existing one, preventing these mistakes will help your company stand out online for the correct reasons. So in this post we are going take a dive into these mistake and also learn practical techniques to correct or avoid these mistakes completely.
1. Not prioritizing accessibility.
The most common mistake in website design is to treat accessibility as an afterthought. According to Maria Kelly, below are the four most common accessibility errors:
- Insufficient color contrast.
- Incorrect or missing replacement text for photos or graphics
- Insufficient or missing visual focus indicators.
- Overlooking accessible names or labels
2. Neglecting the value of responsive design.
In the second quarter of 2022, mobile devices accounted for more than 58% of global website traffic, which excludes tablets. If your website isn’t as user-friendly on mobile as it is on desktop, you risk annoying users and boosting your bounce rate.
“Users are browsing websites on more devices than ever before, including phones, tablets, computers, and even televisions. “If our content looks bad on any of them, visitors will lose trust and leave from the site,” says Juan Manuel Devia Pinzon. “The age of breakpoints is now!”
According to Sean Landry, there is a reason why this happens. “Websites are frequently created with tools from a desktop web browser. One common mistake is assuming that your clients will browse your site on a desktop computer and failing to address mobile users.”
3. Sacrifice user experience for aesthetics.
One of the most common website design blunders in recent years has been prioritizing appearances over function. As the internet has been flooded “With a great proliferation of new media and design in recent years, excelling has become nearly necessary for success. Unfortunately, this has resulted in an overuse of design and graphic elements that appeal to users’ senses but are distant from the core goal of a website,” says Sergio Martinez.
According to Martinez, this manifests itself in numerous ways. “…from design trends that dilute a brand’s value proposition to the overuse of motion, content, and heavy visuals that increase aesthetics but are ineffective. This does not imply that a minimalist or neubrutalism style should be used; it is about balance and how the form complements the purpose.”
4. Not investing in personalization.
Consider your website to be your business’s online shop. It should be consistent with your branding and feel unique to your firm. One of the most common website design blunders is using a cookie-cutter template without personalizing it.
For example, defaulting to the normal hero banner can be counterproductive. “We’ve all seen them – the full-width image right under the navigation, usually with white or black text and a button sitting on top,” explains Lindsay Derby
“The image is either very light, very dark, or cleverly cropped such that the writing is legible. There are several reasons why I believe this is a mistake. The first is that it is so common that it has become formulaic and monotonous. What was once a visually appealing design decision has become mundane.”
5. Implementing features that do not convert.
Another common mistake is utilizing inefficient features. Remember that the effectiveness of your website comes first, no matter how visually stunning a feature is. “Another common mistake is relying on rotating carousels to feature multiple pieces of content at the same level,” Derby points out.
“There has been countless research done to indicate that users do not often interact with carousels, particularly on mobile where the interaction cost is high.”
6. Lack of hierarchy.
Have you ever visited a website and been unclear where to focus your attention? If this is the case, you have most likely landed on a site with no hierarchy. Just like how a newspaper uses headlines and subheads to denote significance, so should your website’s typography.
Ordering on your website not only looks good, but it also has a purpose. “Organization of website elements… give your site a cohesive structure that drives users to complete clear actions, achieves the primary goal, and, subsequently, creates a seamless experience,” Martinez advises.
7. There is unclear navigation.
Clear navigation may lessen the friction visitors encounter when they arrive on your site, which is why poor navigation is such a problem. “As more and more businesses branch into the digital world, content on the website becomes more crowded and complex, having a clear navigation and consistency across your multiple touchpoints and user journeys will ensure a smooth transition from first visitor to advocate,” Devia Pinzon, a consultant, says.
8. You’re not successfully communicating your company’s objective.
When visitors arrive on your website, they should have a clear picture of what your firm does. What if the picture is even slightly blurry? You guessed it: visitors may abandon your website.
“The first thing a website visitor does when they load your site is to determine if they reached the right destination,” Landry adds. “Does your site clearly state above the fold what product or service it offers?”
Your website should help to build your company’s credibility. If it isn’t explaining your company’s goal and reassuring visitors that they’re in the proper place, a website redesign is probably in order.
Conclusion
Now you know what these common mistakes are, in the next post we will be exploring how to better them to increase your site’s trustworthiness and provide visitors with an experience they will want to return to.
“Web design is a team sport and requires a circular approach that ensures a good alignment between teams, stakeholders, and user knowledge,” Martinez points out. “There’s no better way than testing and iterating, including user research and usability testing, to ensure your website is moving in the right direction.”
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