Designing a website can feel like solving a puzzle, if you try to wing it without the necessary skills. Get it right, and your site becomes a powerful tool that connects people and businesses. So, how do you get it right? First, call in the experts; an experienced design agency is the best choice. And, guide them in designing a website for your user.
A great website should feel intuitive, welcoming, and functional. Let’s discuss some common web design mistakes that interfere with this goal. We’ll also talk about the practical ways to fix them. Keep these tips in mind during your website designing or redesigning journey.
#1 Overcomplicating the Navigation Menu
Imagine walking into a store with plenty of signs. But it’s more chaos than clarity—the signs can’t help you find what you need. You’d probably get frustrated and leave, right? That’s exactly what happens when your website’s navigation is too complex.
A good navigation system gives users control. If users have to guess where to go next, they’ll likely leave your site in frustration. Simplicity is key here. Aim for fewer menu items, organized in a way that feels logical. Your navigation should act as a map, guiding users smoothly from one section to another.
For example: Don’t cram all your products into one dropdown menu. Instead, consider categorizing them into broader, easily understandable groups. And don’t forget mobile users. Your navigation should adapt well to smaller screens. Make sure to use clear icons and an accessible hamburger menu.
#2 Neglecting Mobile Responsiveness Beyond Basics
In 2024, saying “My site is mobile-friendly” is like saying a car has tires! It’s the bare minimum. One big mistake-many websites only focus on resizing for mobile. Factors like touch-friendly buttons, mobile load speeds, and finger-friendly navigation are often ignored.
How people interact with phones is different from how they interact on a laptop/desktop. Buttons that work fine on a laptop can feel tiny and frustrating on a phone. So, developing a responsive site isn’t just about shrinking your desktop design. It’s about thinking mobile-first.
Focus on consistency and flexibility. Take a look at your site from a mobile user’s point of view. Are your calls to action (CTAs) big enough to tap easily? Does the content load quickly, or do large images slow things down? You don’t want a flashy design to get in the way of usability.
#3 Ignoring Accessibility Standards
Accessibility isn’t just a “nice-to-have” feature—it’s a must. It opens your site to a wider audience and makes it more inclusive. There are also legal requirements like the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). So it’s not just a matter of preference.
One common mistake is forgetting about color contrast. A light pastel font color may look great on your screen. But is likely to be unreadable to someone with color blindness. Not adding alt text for images is also a common oversight. Remember, alt text helps screen readers describe images to visually impaired users.
Accessibility goes hand in hand with good design. It’s about creating a site that works for everyone, whether navigating with a mouse, keyboard, or voice command.
This guideline falls under Customization—one of the 7 Cs of good website design.
7 Cs Framework: Context, Content, Community, Customization, Communication, Connection, Commerce
#4 Lack of Cohesive Visual Hierarchy
Ever visit a website and feel like you don’t know where to look first? Everything seems to be competing for attention. The website design mistake here is a lack of visual hierarchy. It overlooks the usability principle—Visibility of System Status. This principle highlights the need to communicate what’s important right away. Users shouldn’t have to search for the most crucial elements of your website.
Good visual hierarchy draws attention to the most important headline, image, or button on the page. Without it, visitors might miss key information or feel overwhelmed. You can quickly fix this mistake using color, sizing, or spacing to highlight important elements.
For example, the title of a blog post should stand out more than the subheadings. And, your main CTA should be more noticeable than supporting links. It’s like a roadmap. Your design should direct visitors naturally through the content without making them think too hard.
#5 Overloading the Website with Animations
Your website’s goal is to connect with users. Over-the-top animations can break that connection. Too many flashy movements or transitions can slow down your site. It could also distract users from the site’s main purpose.
Users might be impressed for a second, but if the page takes too long to load or feels too “busy,” they’ll leave. Think of animations like salt: a little can enhance the experience, but too much will ruin the dish. A simple rule to remember is to avoid anything that does not add any real value to the user experience.
Use animations sparingly to highlight important elements like your CTA. Or to guide the user from one step to another. Here’s an example: A smooth transition as users scroll adds a nice touch. But animating every little button hover or loading a massive video as a background can tank your page speed.
#6 Not Prioritizing SEO in Design Choices
You have the smoothest, most beautiful website in the world. But people can’t find it? That isn’t helping. Search engines look at your site’s content to determine its relevance, so always consider SEO best practices when designing.
Heavy use of JavaScript, large image files, and poorly structured HTML can all hurt your SEO. For example, a site that takes forever to load will get penalized in search rankings. It’s also important to use headings (H1s and H2s) properly. Add meta descriptions, and make sure your URLs are clean.
Good design and good SEO go hand in hand. Think of your website as a cake—design is the frosting, but SEO is the actual cake that makes people want to dig in.
Final Thoughts
Building a website that stands out doesn’t mean following the latest design trends. It means creating a site that works for your users. From simplifying your navigation to accessibility, every design choice should make the user journey easier.
But remember, DIY-ing will do more harm than good. So, understand the basics and partner up with the right UI/UX design agency to make sure your expectations are met.
