Having an interactive design is a crucial aspect of every website. Introduction of the latest techniques and tools are making it quite challenging day by day. The designers need to understand the need to solve user’s approach and enrich their experience on the internet. A focus on creativity, functionality and usability can ensure a kick ass website.
Listed below are top 14 common mistakes designers make while constructing Interaction Design and how to avoid them:
Remember that good navigation is the foundation of a good website. Your site visitors should know where they are at a specific moment. They should also be able to travel through website pages without any problem. Tips such as including pagination into the design, one page layout, and filters simplifying search customers can work well here.
Good readability is certainly the basic of a good website. Unfortunately, some designers tend to neglect it. Excess creativity without focussing on readability can be dangerous.
These elements tend to make your website heavier and decrease downloading speed. If you are serious about increasing traffic, ensure you have a lightweight website. Avoid flash and heavy images.
Make sure you leave ample white space for your content to breathe! In short, you should learn the art of minimalism to impress your audience.
It is one of the most crucial elements of Interaction Design. These days, designers focus on adding fashionable fonts to make design interactive. However, they fail to understand that only a few fonts can be used safely on websites. This allows visitors to see them from any device and browsers. It is better to use Google Fonts.
This is very irritating for a customer. It leads to the disorienting experience for a visitor. Hence, make sure only one pop-up window is accessible at a time. You may also make use of light boxes that grays out all distortion to enhance perception. Also make sure the user can close a pop-up clicking anywhere on the screen.
Of course, a home page makes the first and most important impression on the user. However, the subpages are no less. Make sure these include essential info and are equally attractive. Don't make them look like step sons or daughters!
If you don't test a website on all devices before going live, you lose users. It should be tested properly across all popular devices and show optimized performance.
You have created a website for a specific purpose. In case, you fail to give clear call-to-action on a page, your chances to reach target audience are second to none.
Links leading to nowhere are signs of unprofessionalism. These small details may ruin the overall impression even if you focus on having a brilliant and attractive design.
Ignoring search bar can be a problem. Remember that it should be present at every site and that too, in a very prominent place. This helps customers navigate easily and saves their time.
This is a sin! If you include user interface elements that fail to work well on mobile, you upset your audience. A huge registration form looks complex and is tough to fill out on a mobile device. Add responsive layout to help it margin. Also, responsive designs make users skip a few steps in filling out the profile smartly. This allows user complete steps on a laptop or a desktop computer. Remember, if your website is unable to adjust to all major screen resolutions, you lose visitors. They won't stay long on a site that has not been optimized for their experience.
Do you make users register way before showing value? Remember that users have a lot of options for apps to choose from. So any attempt on your part to make them share information prior to communicating the value offered will eventually add the risk of losing them.
It is important to display new info on your website. This is crucial for returning visitors as they want to know what’s changed since they last visited. If it is a blog, this is conducted automatically. However, this is done automatically on blogs as posts appear in descending order based on date. For other types of websites, try devoting a whole section for new content. For instance, you can start off with a page that links to the latest content. This may be a section within home page or another page linking to the latest updates. The process helps returning visitors find out what's new and exciting.
Try as hard as you can avoid the above listed interaction design errors in the long term. The present age advances in technology have resulted in increased expectations of users. While highlighting yourself in the web crowd is as crucial as your business, make sure you do it right. Invest quality time to conduct feedback sessions with clients. Also make sure you follow them.
Listed below are top 14 common mistakes designers make while constructing Interaction Design and how to avoid them:
1. Complex Navigation
Remember that good navigation is the foundation of a good website. Your site visitors should know where they are at a specific moment. They should also be able to travel through website pages without any problem. Tips such as including pagination into the design, one page layout, and filters simplifying search customers can work well here.
2. Poor Readability
Good readability is certainly the basic of a good website. Unfortunately, some designers tend to neglect it. Excess creativity without focussing on readability can be dangerous.
3. Heavy Images, Animations / Flash Based Graphics
These elements tend to make your website heavier and decrease downloading speed. If you are serious about increasing traffic, ensure you have a lightweight website. Avoid flash and heavy images.
4. Clutter!
Make sure you leave ample white space for your content to breathe! In short, you should learn the art of minimalism to impress your audience.
5. Poor Typography
It is one of the most crucial elements of Interaction Design. These days, designers focus on adding fashionable fonts to make design interactive. However, they fail to understand that only a few fonts can be used safely on websites. This allows visitors to see them from any device and browsers. It is better to use Google Fonts.
6. Pop-up Windows
This is very irritating for a customer. It leads to the disorienting experience for a visitor. Hence, make sure only one pop-up window is accessible at a time. You may also make use of light boxes that grays out all distortion to enhance perception. Also make sure the user can close a pop-up clicking anywhere on the screen.
7. All Attention on Homepage
Of course, a home page makes the first and most important impression on the user. However, the subpages are no less. Make sure these include essential info and are equally attractive. Don't make them look like step sons or daughters!
8. No Testing of Website
If you don't test a website on all devices before going live, you lose users. It should be tested properly across all popular devices and show optimized performance.
9. No Clear Call to Actions
You have created a website for a specific purpose. In case, you fail to give clear call-to-action on a page, your chances to reach target audience are second to none.
10. Broken Links
Links leading to nowhere are signs of unprofessionalism. These small details may ruin the overall impression even if you focus on having a brilliant and attractive design.
11. No Search Option
Ignoring search bar can be a problem. Remember that it should be present at every site and that too, in a very prominent place. This helps customers navigate easily and saves their time.
12. Not Adding Responsive Design
This is a sin! If you include user interface elements that fail to work well on mobile, you upset your audience. A huge registration form looks complex and is tough to fill out on a mobile device. Add responsive layout to help it margin. Also, responsive designs make users skip a few steps in filling out the profile smartly. This allows user complete steps on a laptop or a desktop computer. Remember, if your website is unable to adjust to all major screen resolutions, you lose visitors. They won't stay long on a site that has not been optimized for their experience.
13. Registration Before Value
Do you make users register way before showing value? Remember that users have a lot of options for apps to choose from. So any attempt on your part to make them share information prior to communicating the value offered will eventually add the risk of losing them.
14. No New Content!
It is important to display new info on your website. This is crucial for returning visitors as they want to know what’s changed since they last visited. If it is a blog, this is conducted automatically. However, this is done automatically on blogs as posts appear in descending order based on date. For other types of websites, try devoting a whole section for new content. For instance, you can start off with a page that links to the latest content. This may be a section within home page or another page linking to the latest updates. The process helps returning visitors find out what's new and exciting.
Conclusion
Try as hard as you can avoid the above listed interaction design errors in the long term. The present age advances in technology have resulted in increased expectations of users. While highlighting yourself in the web crowd is as crucial as your business, make sure you do it right. Invest quality time to conduct feedback sessions with clients. Also make sure you follow them.
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