COMMON WEBSITE DESIGN FAILURES

When you have a little spare time when searching for something on the internet, have a good look at the websites that instantly grab your attention as well as those that are an instant turn-off.  Then ask yourself just what is it that differentiates good website design from the bad and the ugly.

 All too often, the issue isn’t with what the website contains but rather with the way the information is presented and packaged for users.  If you compare websites promoting similar products, you’ll be drawn to some and turned off by others.  And the reason behind the failures?  Common website design errors. 

 Here are some of the top website design mistakes :

 Bad intro

Site visitors should be in no doubt as to what the website is about at first click.  That first impression is absolutely vital.  If the opening message says ‘skip intro’ – generally the user will skip the whole website, so ditch the fancy stuff and get back to basics.

 Work on the KISS principle

Keep it simple, Stupid!  It may be old, but it works – because simplicity is the key to understanding and the basis of good design.  Many website designers cram far too much info onto the pages.

 Menu-planning

Dropdown menus are a pain.  Users often make the wrong choices and end up frustrated and confused.  Navigation options should be clear, concise and easy to see.

 Make contact with customers

Users need to be able to find your contact details quickly and easily, so don’t make them play hide and seek!.  And just as they want to make contact with you, you want to make contact with your customers but avoid forcing users to hand over details before they enter your site.  People are resentful of this and see it as an invasion of privacy.  A better option is to provide an incentive deeper into the website that encourages them to enter their details eg competition, newsletter etc.

 Noise pollution

What’s with the music ?.   Always give your users the option of turning on the audio or video. 

 Flashing is not flash

Beware of moving icons, flashing text, animations… these can ‘cheapen’ a website and turn visitors away. 

Lesson One – spelling and grammar

It almost sounds too basic to mention, but surprising how many mistakes are made.   All it takes is a little time and effort – yet countless websites are compromised with bad spelling and grammar. However good the product or service is, basic text mistakes make the website look unprofessional.

 Links in the chain

The aim is to encourage site visitors to click on as many pages of a website as possible  Then why are so many links ‘hidden’ in the text, not visible or underlined, and in the same colour as the text?.  Links that have been clicked on should also change colour to prevent users from returning to pages that have already been visited. 

 Avoid image pollution

If a site is overcrowded with images and graphics, people will look for something simpler and easier on the senses, says Dale Carter, MD of Perth website development agency, GTP I-commerce. 

 Unfortunately, quality of output and good design has taken a back seat with the exponential growth of the internet as website developers roll out products as fast as possible in order to capitalise on opportunities.