User Experience design is a key element in effective website design. UX design being a part of the web design process helps proper functioning of website, improve usefulness, optimize the website on visual parameters and in overall regards makes user experience better as well as rewarding. Rewarding and satisfactory user experience ultimately leads to better conversion and lead generation. Quite unfortunately, there is still a dearth of understanding concerning the importance of UX design and consequently a great many sites simply experience slow business conversion and outcome from their web presence. One always learns better by identifying the mistakes and here below we provide 6 UX design mistakes that you need to stay away in this year.
1. Demanding user information without offering value
First of all you need to ask yourself what kind of value you are creating for your user before asking them for personal information. You can only generate a lead and convert from an interested user and so you need to generate interest before anything else. Give users something they will benefit from and then guide them for registration or signup. Users often leave sites that fail to convince them before pushing for signup.
In this contest another important aspect is to shortening the form as most users detest filling up a long form with personal information. If possible, make it short and crisp by asking only for name and email. If in your industry, customer phone number plays a critical role for lead generation, you need to be extra careful about their reactions as most people are reluctant to take a risk with unsolicited calls from marketers.
2. Background images failing to create context
Using full blown background image is a popular UX trend now. But irrespective of the popularity and effectiveness of this UX element, you cannot make a mark unless you can utilize this image to highlight your content above the fold and draw attention.
There are countless number of websites where visiting for the first time your eyes are grabbed instantly by the image but you do not see any content related to it unless you scroll yourself. Clearly, these sites actually failed to utilize the effectiveness of background images by striking a right balance of content and visual effect. A good background instead of grabbing too much attention can actually work for highlighting the main title and website text above the fold.
3. Not testing enough across devices
Sleek typography may look great on your device but on different device you may have a hard time deciphering it just with a glance. Prominence and at a glance readability is a big determinant factor when using content and unless you test it across devices you never know. Similarly, the images, button size and all other aspects that can differ across devices should be tested on various mobile devices, tablets, laptops and desktops to ensure equal user experience in all devices.
4. Non optimized contrast
Low contrast with soft shades has become a trend these days but if you do not know how to use this unusual contrast work for better user experience, you can have severe issues. Thin fonts may be useful by combining it with low color contrast can be dangerous as both reducing the contrast to an unbearable point can make readability suffer to a great extent. So, whether using low color contrast or thinner fonts, you should always make use of any of them at a time and take care of the final visual appeal and readability.
But in any case low color contrast cannot be used in the main body of a text as this will only make readability suffer. In main text whether in article or blogs, the contrast should be optimum. Not testing the contrast on multiple devices to ensure optimum legibility is another common mistake. A text these days are glanced over rather than read thoroughly and naturally it should be optimized to grab attention and make a quick impression. As soon as you know that you are using perfect contrast for the text, test the contrast and its effectiveness across devices and users.
5. Too much text
All studies indicate that average website visitor stays less than 15 seconds on a website and majority of users just glance through the bold texts and quick decipherable points rather than reading long paragraphs. So, here less is always more as long as your text can convey the required message to the user. Your users should be convinced as to what extent the contents on the site can help them and why they should spend their valuable time on your website. It can only be achieved by smart use of texts along with visual contents like attention grabbing images, infographics and video clippings. A recent study by 3M Corporation conveyed that 90 percent of the information processed in the brain are visual as they are processed faster than text.
6. Design inconsistency
Inconsistency is the biggest culprit to make countless sites suffer. Many websites irrespective of their great immersive design elements simply fail to ignite interest in users because of inconsistent design. Inconsistency besides creating aesthetic glitches also leads to confusion. Buttons, design elements, certain guiding texts, formats and color and contrast schemes all should have coherence.
By using different types of symbols and buttons throughout the website or app you may boost creativity and look interesting, but this can actually confuse users as they are likely to find this unfamiliar and less useful. So it is always advisable to use the same type of coherent signs throughout, for instance, burger icon signifying menu, arrow icon doing the same for directions, etc. You should not risk confusion for creativity sake as this can make you suffer from loss of traffic and conversion. Most design elements on the web are time tested and have become familiar among users for years. Consistent design elements also helps creating your brand value and web identity.
Author Bio - Keval Padia is a Founder and CEO of Nimblechapps, a fast-growing android game development company. The current innovation and updates of the field lures him to express his views and thoughts on certain topics.