A well-thought-out UX design can make the difference between a user staying engaged with your site and bouncing away. However, even the most seasoned UX designer can fall into common traps that have a negative impact on user experience.
In this article, we will explore the most common mistakes in UX design, their potential impact, recommended strategies to prevent them from happening and ways to fix them if they do occur.
Mistake 1: Neglecting Mobile Responsiveness
Why it’s important
In 2023, mobile responsiveness should be a basic prerequisite in most websites, particularly when 63% of total online traffic by U.S. audiences comes from mobile devices. Yet, even today there are sites that are not mobile responsive. Neglecting mobile responsiveness can lead to a poor experience for a significant portion of users. As higher percentages of people access the internet via smartphones and tablets, having a mobile-friendly design is essential.
Potential impact
A non-responsive website can result in high bounce rates, reduced engagement and lower search engine rankings. Mobile users will leave your site if they can’t easily navigate or read content.
How to prevent this
Design with a mobile-first approach. Prioritize responsive design from the beginning of the project. Use responsive frameworks and test your site on various devices and screen sizes.
Red flags
If you notice that mobile users have a much higher bounce rate compared to desktop users, it’s a sign that your site might not be mobile-friendly.
How to fix it
Fitting retroactively an existing website for mobile responsiveness can be challenging. It often involves rewriting code and redesigning layouts. Site owners should consider hiring a professional web developer and UX designer with expertise in responsive web design.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Page Load Speed
Why it’s important
If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, it’s a clear indication that you need to address this issue. Slow-loading pages frustrate users and can lead to abandonment. Additionally, page load time is a factor in search engine rankings.
Potential impact
High bounce rates, reduced conversion rates and a negative impact on SEO rankings.
Prevention strategy
Optimize images, use content delivery networks (CDNs) and minimize HTTP requests. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights and Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools to identify page performance issues.
How to fix it
Identify highly impacted pages by running Google PageSpeed Insights tests on various site pages. In addition, explore Google Search Console’s Page Experience and Core Web Vitals reports for page speed performance data . Implementing performance optimizations may require technical expertise. Consider hiring a developer or site performance specialist to improve your site’s speed.
Mistake 3: Using Complex Navigation Structures
Why it’s important
Complex navigation can confuse users and make it difficult for them to find what they’re looking for. If you notice that users are frequently clicking back or using the search function to find basic information, your navigation may be too complex.
Potential impact
Complex navigation systems can increase bounce rates, lower user engagement and frustrate users who may never return to your site.
Prevention strategy
Keep navigation simple and intuitive. Use clear labels and organized menus. Conduct user testing to ensure ease of use.
How to fix it
Simplify navigation by reorganizing menus and labels. Prioritize the most important content and features for easy access.
Mistake 4: Inadequate Content Hierarchy
Why it’s important
Without a clear content hierarchy, users can get lost on your landing pages, leading to a subpar experience. If you notice that users spend a lot of time on a page without engaging with key elements, or if they leave without accessing important content, your content hierarchy may need improvement.
Potential impact
Users may not find essential information within a page, leading to frustration and high bounce rates.
Prevention strategy
Prioritize content based on importance. Use headings, subheadings, and visual cues to guide users through the content of a page.
How to fix it
Re-evaluate and restructure your content hierarchy. Make sure that important information stands out, is easily accessible and well-organized. Consider running a user testing tool like Hotjar, Crazy Egg, or UserTesting in your main pages and applying the recommendations in your site.
Mistake 5: Neglecting Accessibility
Why it’s important
Neglecting accessibility excludes users with disabilities from accessing your content and can lead to legal issues.
Potential impact
Limited reach, potential legal liabilities and a negative public image.
Prevention strategy
Ensure that your website complies with accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG). Use alt text for images, provide keyboard navigation, and test with assistive technologies.
How to fix it
Hire an accessibility consultant to assess and improve your site’s accessibility. Remediation might involve code changes and redesigns.
Mistake 6: Overloading with Ads and Pop-Ups
Why it’s important
Excessive ads and pop-ups disrupt the user experience, making it difficult for users to access your content.
Potential impact
High bounce rates, decreased user engagement, and a tarnished brand image. Additionally, using intrusive pop-ups or an excessive usage of ads in web pages is considered as spam by Google and can lead to a penalty. Signs you should watch out for are a significant drop in site traffic or user engagement, or an increase in bounce rates, especially on pages with many ads or pop-ups.
Prevention strategy
Think about the experience of your users; Is there a chance they get overwhelmed by the amount of ads in your pages? Can they easily identify the main content of the page? Use a reasonable number of ads and avoid intrusive pop-ups. Prioritize user experience over ad revenue.
How to fix it
Reduce the number and intrusiveness of ads and avoid intrusive pop-ups. Balance revenue generation with a positive user experience.
Mistake 7: Lack of A/B Testing and User Feedback
Why it’s important
If you’re not consistently testing and improving your site based on data and user feedback, you’re likely missing out on opportunities for improvement. A/B testing can help you make informed decisions about things like the color and micro copy of click buttons, what images to use in the site, how to structure the navigation menu, or what should be the look and feel of the homepage.
Potential impact
Lack of A/B Testing can lead to missed optimization opportunities, reduced user satisfaction and stagnant growth.
Prevention strategy
Implement regular A/B testing to assess design changes and gather user feedback through surveys or user testing. This will help you to inform ongoing improvements to your website’s UX.
Summary
In conclusion, avoiding common UX mistakes and addressing them promptly if they occur is crucial for creating a positive user experience and maximizing the effectiveness of your website or application.
By prioritizing mobile responsiveness, page load speed, simple navigation, content hierarchy, accessibility, ad usage and user feedback, you can create a more engaging, trustworthy and user-friendly digital environment. In addition, SEO best practices go hand in hand with a great UX, as user satisfaction and user trust are key factors that contribute to your site’s search engine rankings.
