Some of the mistakes that go unnoticed just drive users crazy. Here are some of the more common ones.
1. Users need to signup first before they are allowed to browse the website. It is one of the most terrible things that one can do to their visitors. Some websites do this to get their visitor’s email addresses. However, there are many people who are not willing to go through this. What good is monetizing an email address if you have so few signups to monetize?
2. Only working on designs for large screens. It is an inconvenience for smartphone and tablet users to load and navigate a website designed only for big screens. And with mobile traffic making up more than 50% of the visitors in many industries, large-only websites have got to go. This doesn’t mean that you can’t design a site to look amazing on large screens, but you must make it responsive so that it is mobile friendly, too.
3. Using very long forms with endless questions. Less is more. The less a person has to fill out to complete a form, the more forms that will be completed.
4. Using fonts that are almost impossible to read. In designing a website, the readability of content is as important as the message within the content. If a visitor cannot read your content because of your font choice then you may lose that lead. Likewise, you need fonts that are clean and professional. As cool as the kid in you thinks Comic Sans or Papyrus are, you have to stop using them.
5. Too much text to read. Speaking of readability, web designers need to remember that too much text makes the reading experience annoying. People don’t really “read” websites. They scan them. Make sure your text flows efficiently.
6. A search bar that does not perform its purpose. During the early days of the internet, not having a way to search was one of the problems people had to endure. Google made that all better. So why go back to that time by implementing poor search features on your website?
7. Using low-resolution photos. Low-resolution photos make you look amateurish. Your products or services get a boost in sales with a little help from good images.
Avoid committing these mistakes and you are on your way to a better-looking and better-performing website.