Good things don’t last forever. Web design trends that were once successful will inevitably lose appeal or effectiveness with time. It’s critical to keep the look of your website current so that people will find it appealing.
(Pixabay / StockSnap)
Avoid these web design elements that have passed their expiration date:
- Sliders – Sliders may work well in some web designs, but if you are marketing a product or service, you could lose viewers’ attention as they wait for your slider’s multiple images to load, of which they’re not going to look at anyway. Your main message could be diluted if viewers leave your site prematurely.
- Pop-ups – Not all pop-ups are bad. However, pop-ups that offer unsolicited options to the viewers could subvert your marketing efforts and hijack the user experience. Some pop-ups include snarky messages that could be offensive to your audience, especially when they make viewers feel guilty for rejecting offers. People resent feeling tricked or taken advantage of.
- Auto-play videos –These videos can repel visitors in a hurry. Nobody wants to be ambushed by videos and their supporting audio that kick on automatically. Show your viewers some respect by letting them turn on the video rather than forcing it down their throat.
- Separate mobile sites – If you want a higher Google ranking, your site must have a smart and responsive website design that will be accessible on a desktop, tablet, or mobile platforms. If not structured properly, making one version of your site for mobile users and another one for desktop users could get you penalized for having duplicate content. Besides that, users like the consistency of seeing the same things on their PC and their mobile devices.
- Skeuomorphism – This concept relies on lifelike digital images. For example, using a pic of a trash can to represent a delete key. To say that this technique has been overused is an understatement. Skeuomorphism worked well in a time of transition to current design practices, but most experts agree that this design trend is passé.
Keep your finger on the pulse of current design styles. You run the risk of driving users away if you lose your cutting edge.