When a user lands on your website, the first thing they see is the design. And what do they notice? The colors, fonts, logo, menu bar, and whether it looks clean or not. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. There’s more.
Unfortunately, even the slightest design mistakes can cost you customers. Even revenue. Fortunately, you can always correct these mistakes as soon as you spot them and optimize your website with the help of website design services or a web development agency.
In today’s blog, we are going to break down 10 such web design mistakes that are leaving money on the table.
Bite-Sized Brief: UI vs UX
For a web design to tick all the boxes and really stand out, you must have an understanding of UI and UX.
User Interface (UI)
User Interface means everything your dear visitor will interact with on your site. This includes buttons, icons, images, fonts, and color schemes. It should aim at creating a visual environment that appeals to the user. A strong UI means your website looks attractive, inviting, and feels modern.
User Experience (UX)
User Experiences addresses the question, “How will the visitor interact with the website?” It covers a visitor’s entire journey, beginning from landing on your homepage to completing a purchase.
UX focuses on clear navigation, ease of use, and ensuring that every step feels natural and efficient. If your UX is on point, users will be able to find what they need with little effort, leading to higher satisfaction and more sales.
| User Interface | User Experience |
| Deals with aesthetics and interactive elements | Overall experience a user has on your site |
| Makes the site visually pleasing | Makes the process smooth and enjoyable |
| Well-designed UI draws users in | Well-planned UX keeps them engaged and helps convert visits into sales. |
If your website has a stunning UI but a clunky UX, visitors might get frustrated and leave. Conversely, if your site is easy to navigate but looks outdated or messy, users might not stick around long enough to enjoy the experience. The bottom line? Both UI and UX are important for a good website.
10 Web Design Mistakes
1. Cluttered Navigation
We’ll start from the start. When a visitor lands on your website, how do they know what pages the website has? What will they do if they directly want to go to one of your web pages? They will refer to the menu and navigation bar.
If your menu and navigation bar:
- Does not follow a hierarchy that reflects how users think about your content
- It is not found where users expect to find it (usually at the top)
- Does not use descriptive labels
- Has labels that are placed very closely (i.e., not optimized for touch interaction)
Visitors will leave the website out of confusion and navigation challenges.
Quick Tips:
- Limit the number of menu items. Too many choices can overwhelm users.
- Instead of fancy jargon, stick with descriptive yet simple terms.
- Organize items in a natural sequence.
- Group related topics together. For instance, if you have products and case studies, place them next to each other.
- A sticky (fixed) navigation bar that stays at the top as you scroll can be handy.
- Make sure your menu works well on both desktop and mobile devices. A hamburger menu on mobile keeps things tidy.
2. Lack of Hierarchy
Everyone has a natural sense of hierarchy. It is commonly understood that headers are sized bigger than sub-text. They may also be represented in different fonts. Moreover, the pages need to have a logical component that works independently yet in order to appear as a ‘whole.’
When a visitor reads your web pages, it should feel like they are moving from point A to B, C, D, and so on. And not like they are moving from Point A to C, then B, E, H, and D.
Quick Tips:
- Break up your content with clearly defined headlines
- Use color, size, or bold text to highlight the most important items.
- Stick to a uniform layout across pages
- Allow areas around elements to breathe
- Organize similar information together
3. Non-Responsive Design
Try opening your website on different devices. Do the images, sections, and navigation bar stay the same size, or do they fit your screen well? Do you have to scroll sideways to view the website? If your answer was any of the two:
- They stay the same
- Yes, I have to scroll sideways
Your website is non-responsive. It does not adjust its elements to the size of the device you are opening it on. Mind you, this may irk your visitors. So, fix it ASAP!
4. Generic CTA Buttons
“Book Now”
“Shop Now”
“Book a Call”
These CTAs are sadly done and dusted. Often, these CTAs don’t even meet the visitor where they are or justify the ‘ask’ when placed incorrectly.
A CTA should prompt the visitor to do something specific. It should tell the users what’s behind the button, i.e., what will happen when they click on the button. So skip the generic CTAs and instead:
- Be precise
- Tell them where you’re leading them
- Be descriptive
5. Too Much or Too Little Whitespace
Whitespace is an underrated design element. When used correctly, it lets your content breathe and guides your visitors to focus on what matters. However, striking the right balance is key.
A cramped layout, i.e., too little whitespace, makes your website feel overwhelming and chaotic. The design loses its clarity, making it hard for your visitors to focus on what’s important. On the flip side, excessive whitespace might leave your site feeling barren or unfinished.
Quick tips:
- Keep margins and gaps uniform across sections.
- Let text breathe with ample line spacing and margins.
- Use whitespace to visually group related items.
6. Poor Typography
Your choice of typography can make or break the website’s look and feel. If you have too many unrelated fonts or decorative fonts, you are inviting confusion.
Select 2-3 complementary fonts to begin with. Reserve one for the section headers and one for the body text. Some of the best website typography besides Sans Serif include:
- Manrope
- Urbanist
- Satoshi
- Sora
- Cabinet Grotesk
- Helvetica
- Geist
- Inter
- Switzer
All of the above-mentioned fonts are easy to read, clean, and well-spaced.
7. All-White or All-Black Background
We love going white or black. While these stark choices are desiring for what the colors symbolize, they come with hidden pitfalls. An all-white or all-black background can create eye strain if they’re not balanced properly. Moreover, the significant disparity between brightness levels overstimulates the eyes when reading text.
Quick Tip:
- The background should make text and images pop.
- Avoid overly busy or bright backgrounds that distract from your message
- Soft colors reduce eye strain and create a more welcoming environment.
- Test your background on different devices and lighting conditions.
8. Lack of ‘Search’ Functionality
If your menu bar fails to provide clarity to your visitors, the next best option they have is the ‘search’ functionality. It makes finding what they want 100% easier. So, if your website is quite extensive and lacks this functionality, do consider including it. That being said, remember that the visitors will not always be spot-on with their spelling and punctuation.
Quick tips:
- Set ‘case-insensitivity’ as a default in the search
- Anticipate the search
PS: Not every website needs a ‘Search’ functionality. Consult with your web development agency or web design agency in Dubai.
9. Heavy Images and Videos
Yes, a visual website is a good thing to have, but not at the cost of your website’s loading speed. Select image formats like JPEG or WebP for photographs and PNG for graphics with fewer colors. For videos, consider formats like MP4 that maintain quality at smaller sizes.
Quick tips:
- Compress files before uploading them
- Use ‘lazy loading’ for images and videos
- Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
- Avoid automatic video play on the load page
10. Ignoring ‘Accessibility’
Most designers fail to consider the accessibility factor while offering website design services. If your website overlooks this aspect, too, you may be losing potential visitors. As a result, you are not only limiting your website but also its usability. Some of these accessibility features are:
- Clear color contrast
- Image alternate text
- Keyboard accessibility
- Moving and blinking items like carousels
- Auto-playing videos
- Tickers
Quick tips:
- Add descriptive alt-text for images and captions for videos.
- Make forms and interactive elements accessible via the keyboard
- Test your site with accessibility tools
Conclusion
A good web design in Dubai is possible with the help of a web development agency like ours. Insights Dubai’s website design and development experts are well-versed in best practices and test your website against industry standards for performance.
We give importance to big and small details alike, ensuring your website is optimized for user interface as well as user experience. Get in touch with us today and see how we can design and develop your website for conversions!