10 Deadly Mistakes in Web Design
The article discusses the 10 worst mistakes that should be avoided by web designers.
- Low Quality Search
Search engines that are excessively literal end up being hurting to users. They are unable to handle typos, errors, plurals, hyphens and other similar alphabet forms. These kinds of search engines are particularly problematic for the elderly users.
Another problem is found when search engines enlist the results on the basis of number of query terms instead of the significance of concerned documents.
A search engine that enlists favorites at the top, especially in the case of important queries like names of products, is most helpful to users.
A simple search box easily serves the best purpose to users in this regard. Advanced search can also be a helpful tool in this regard. However, simple search is what most users prefer and proves vital when the navigation fails to bring out desired results.
- PDF Files: Distracting User experience
Users are averse to using PDF files because they get an obstructed flow in browsing sessions. Even simple tasks like saving and printing require use of different commands.
Even the layout of the PDF is not conducive to users surfing net. Most of the files do not match with the size of the browser’s window. The fonts are very small. Users do not find easy navigation and find it hard to locate the content they are looking for.
However, PDF files are great for printing. Therefore, the PDF files should be reserved for matter that users need to print. For instance manuals, study material or other long documents.
- Links That do not Change Color upon Visiting
Users can better comprehend their present location when the past links they have visited get marked clearly. Also, the clarity of the usefulness o previously visited links helps them revisit useful pages. On the other hand, they can also spot fruitless links and exclude them.
When links do not change color, users get baffled and suffer from navigational disorientation.
This also saves users from unintentionally revisiting the same links time and again.
- Text That is Non-Scannable
The text that is present on the website should not be intimidating. The text should be easily scannable by the users and should include:
- Clear sub-headings
- Short paragraphs
- Highlighted keywords
- Bulleted lists
- Tabular/ summarized presentations
- Simple writing style, de-fluffed language bereft of promotional matter.
- Having Fixed Font Sizes
Websites get the ability to functionally disable ‘change font size’ browser buttons with CSS style sheets. This generally leads to one fixed size of font that is tiny in size and not readable by the users. Users with poor eyesight like those above the age of 40 suffer from a bad user experience.
Letting the users resize the text gives them an enhanced experience while browsing.
- Choosing Page Titles Not Visible to Search Engines
The page title is the main instrument that helps draw the user traffic that includes new visitors from search listings and the existing users finding specific information.
Most of the search engines show the about first 66 characters of the title which can be actually labeled as a micro-content. The search engine displays the HTML title tag in clickable headline in the listing of various Search engine Results Pages.
When the users bookmark a website, the title of the page gets entered by default in the favorites. Thus, it is imperative to start the homepage of the company with the name of the company followed by a short description. Starting with the words like ‘Welcome’ or ‘The’ would automatically alphabetize your website in ‘W’ or ‘T’.
For other pages, the title should begin with the prominent information-carrying words that display the kind of information the page contains.
The page title also functions as the window title in the browser; it acts as the label for that window in the taskbar of windows.
The aware users would use the multiple windows guided by words featuring in the title of the page. Hence it is important to use different salient-information words for labeling each page. Special care should be taken not to use same words in the title of different pages. This would encourage multi-windowing in advanced users.
Closely related to this are taglines for homepages that should also be short and quick guides to right information.
- Advertisement-like Features
When the users are focused on goal-driven navigation, a hindrance in their browsing experience posed by ads, pop-up features is the most distracting experience.
Web users tend to ignore even the genuine design elements that appear as forms of advertising. This means, users never pay attention to the details mentioned in these advertisements. Therefore, such kind of designs should be avoided. However, future forms of advertisements may be variable and may show different implications.
Presently, the users are found to particularly ignore the following:
- Banners: The shape and position of the page may render the user blind to the banner-ad that displayed.
- Animations: Intruding animations in form of flashing or blinking text is particularly ignored by web users.
- Pop-up purges: Pop-up purges may be the most distracting especially when users are focused on something they are looking for in the article. Pop-up windoids are closed by the users, often with viciousness, even before they render full-information they are made to convey.
- Unconventional Designs
Frangibility is the most powerful usability principle. Using the convention al website design profiles, users do not have to make an extra effort to surf the website. The users’ expectations are fulfilled by browsing the website the way they always have been. This makes them feel empowered and secure. Using an unconventional design may be just like an apple of Sir Isaac Newton defying the law of Gravity or a human suddenly turning into a zombie.
- Opening New Browser Windows
Website designs that open in new windows are disregarded by the users and they tend to click on the disabled back button even upon displaying the user-hostile message that shows taking over the user’s machinery. This leads to users getting baffled and is especially noticeable when small browser is being used. If users want your link to open in a new window, they can use the open in new window command.
- Not Meeting User Needs
When a website does not provide the information users are looking for, there can potential loss to the sale. If the specifics of the products or services are not accessible to the users, they assume that your products/ services do not meet their demands.Avoiding the listing price of products is the worst kind of example that can cited for this case. Most B-2-C sites ever make this kind of a mistake. However, it is replete in B-2-B sites where enterprise solutions are given that might be suitable to variable percentage of people.ITventures is committed to provide you excellent e-commerce web design services in Sydney. Our team of experts takes care to focus on all vital principles of effective website design that brings you business and actually a lot of it!
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