6 Common Website Design Mistakes to Avoid
Website design is a critical stage in building a successful, effective website. It influences both web development and using the website as a marketing channel. Let us look at the common website design pitfalls that you can avoid on your path to success along with examples
1. Excessive and poor use of Flash
Flash is a great technology to use for creating attractive elements on a web page. You can do some great animations or dynamic presentations. But great as all that is, excessive or incorrect use of Flash can be a downer for users and the business. Some of the downsides are
- Flash is harder to crawl, index and get context of than html even though there are some improvements in this area.
- Smartphone users either cannot view it at all (iPhone, iPad) or need workarounds to use flash websites (Android).
Flash used right can greatly complement your website design but it has to be used wisely with proper replacement when used on mobiles.
This example shows how incorrect use of Flash can send visitors away.
2. Fancy but unclear Fonts
While there are many new fonts available and increasing all the time, it is important to check whether they
- Show up well on a variety of machines, operating systems and browsers.
- Are well supported and there are fall back options available.
See this list of common Windows and Mac fonts
3. Poor Spacing between elements
Spacing is a critical and often ignored aspect of website design. Do it wrong and elements will either appear too crowded or too sparse. It is important to get spacing right to improve readability as well as group or highlight the right elements.
4. Poor contrast between font and background colors
To ensure readability, it is important to have the right color combination between font and background. A poor contrast can make the font too dull or glary, perfect to give your visitors an eye strain and a reason to leave.
5. Unoptimized Images
Large images are terrible for smartphone users. Their networks are slower than desktop networks and they have limited screen resolution. Images are an integral part of any website. You have to make sure you are using the right size and number of images. Too many images or very large images can overwhelm your text content. An unwanted side effect is that they can drastically slow down your website.
6. Not considering multiple devices
The days of multiple device use are upon us. A high number of users now have PCs, Tablets and Smartphones, so it is critical that your design works well for all types of devices.
This blog post is by Dharne & Company, a Website Design firm offering creative web solutions to businesses across California and the United States.